Canada Goes Rogue

I am frequently asked how I maintain a positive attitude when confronted by Stephen Harper’s destructive agenda—dismembering our environmental laws and policies. Honestly, I can respond that most days I am encouraged by the ability of one MP to make a difference. That was not the case last week as, sitting late in the House for votes, news came over my Blackberry that the Cabinet had decided to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Drought and Desertification (UNCCD). It had the effect of a swift kick in the gut. I had to fight back tears for a day or so … just like when I read Bill C-38. I felt devastated.

I remember the struggle to develop a treaty to combat drought and encroaching deserts. Canada was one of the few countries in the lead to negotiate the treaty. I was not intimately involved, but I knew people who were. When it was signed in 1994, I was elated. Along with the conventions on climate and biodiversity, the treaty to combat drought addressed a global and pressing concern. It was clearly related to climate change, but was more regionally specific. And, although desertification is not a current threat to Canada, certainly drought is.

There had been no inkling or rumour that Stephen Harper wanted to exit another global environmental law. Given that the only treaty from which Canada has ever withdrawn, since 1867, was Kyoto, the cavalier way in which this news leaked out—posted on a Foreign Affairs website and noticed by Canadian Press— added to the shock. That we gave no notice to the secretariat for the Convention was further evidence of our contempt for both the United Nations and the threat posed by climate induced drought and desertification.

In Question Period the next day, Ralph Goodale (former Liberal finance minister and now only the MP for Wascana) posed an excellent question in which he linked other recent Harper administration decisions reducing the Prairies’ preparedness for drought. He charged ‘Maniacal front-line cuts have killed PFRA (the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration), which had world-class Canadian brainpower on soil and water conservation. Conservatives vandalized community pastures, the prairie tree farm and Experimental Lakes Area. Now Canada is the only country in the world sneaking out the back door on the UN Convention Against Drought.’

I was grateful Goodale noted cuts to programmes put in place after the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, as I have been trying to draw attention to them. What Harper has against hedgerows and water conservation in the Prairies is certainly a mystery that has angered Prairie farmers. The Prime Minister’s response was spun to create the impression that the convention on drought and desertification was akin to a poorly run charity, in which aid dollars were poorly spent: ‘This organization spends less than 20% of the funds that we send are actually spent on programming. (sic) The rest goes to various bureaucratic measures. That is not an effective way to spend taxpayer money.’

‘This organization?’ The Prime Minister is speaking of a treaty, within which every other country on earth is making some level of contribution, financial and otherwise. How much were we spending? An astonishingly low pittance… $290,000/year. Admittedly that is a nice amount of money if you are collecting for a new school gymnasium, but it is chump change in the federal budget. We approve more than that routinely by unanimous consent for Parliamentary committee travel. Equated with those things the Prime Minister thinks are a good use of taxpayer funds, things like renting Pandas at $1 million/year, the drought treaty was a bargain.

Canada’s diplomatic corps is shocked. Former Ambassador to the United Nations, former Deputy Minister of National Defence and victim of a terrorist kidnapping in Mali, Robert Fowler, sent an email to the media. Calling our withdrawal from the treaty ‘a departure from global citizenship,’ here’s what he said:

‘It (the Harper administration) has taken climate-change denial, the abandonment of collective efforts to manage global crises and disregard the pain and suffering of the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa (among many others) to quite a different level.’

Responding to Foreign Minister John Baird’s defence that Canada won’t ‘go along to get along,’ Fowler continued:

‘No, by jingo, we’re not going to go along to get along! Such vainglorious nose-thumbing at the international community’s efforts to tame a very present threat to hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest and most desperate is nothing short of incomprehensible.’

Another former Ambassador to the United Nations, Paul Heinbecker, agreed that the move was both inexplicable and bound to confirm to the international community that Canada cared nothing for climate action, nor for the fate of Africa.

The UN itself was shocked. Noting that Canada will now be the only nation on earth not part of the convention, it, in typically understated diplomat-speak, called Canada’s decision ‘regrettable.’

It turns out our notice of intent was sent on January 14. The treaty requires only a 90-day period for full withdrawal so we exit the treaty on April 14, right in the middle of an important scientific review of the threat of desertification and drought, running April 9-19. ‘The next gathering of the scientific conference … is expected to deliver a major breakthrough by presenting the first ever cost-benefit analysis of desertification and sustainable land management,’ an UNCCD statement had commented, of the review and of Canada’s withdrawal.

‘Canada played crucial roles in both processes. Crucially, these processes have also moved the actions taken by parties to a result-based management approach where performance and impact are not only measured using indicators, but also assessed and monitored every two years.’

The rumours in Ottawa is that all our multilateral commitments are under review. I have heard well-connected folks express fear that we may withdraw from the United Nations Environment Programme and UNESCO. To block further erosion of our role in the world, we need to ensure that the reaction to this cutting and running from the problems of the world will not disappear as a one-day headline.

two more years…….I truely hope more than 39% of eligable voters turn out next time…..

Seeking Truth

…will be too late! he vowed to change Canada forever before he left office. it’s called GLOBALIZATION, friends! …. one-worldism …. the wealthy elite will always be OK , the rest of the population will be reduced to poverty with all the down-sizing & will work at anything for little. My eyes were really opened when I looked up “Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs” – a cancer taking over the world. That documentary “Dirt” was wonderful & there are many wonderful people all over the world doing their best to promote scientific solutions to all our earth’s problems. We have to spread their wisdom

Francien Verhoeven

But scientific solutions cut both ways. The cut for the good and the bad. Progress of any kind comes armed with doing damage of some kind, to be corrected once again with progress of another kind, and so forth. Nothing new there.

rcreeker

“Nothing new there,” the mantra of Francien Verhoeven.

Francien Verhoeven

Never answers any questions is the mantra of rcreeker and many more here on this comment board. You must not think things through, because if you had thought things true, you too would have come to the conclusion that scientific solutions do indeed cut both ways.

The splitting of the atom, for instance, is for the good and the bad. Creating energy out of coal or gas, is for the good and the bad. I could go on and on but to what use? You will dismiss whatever I have to say because you have no clue as to how the real world works.

D Vandeleur

she seems to have joined that club

D Vandeleur

correction, rcreeker: Verhoeven seems to have joined that club – she dismisses ANY valid criticism of the present government’s outrageous ‘changing Canada forever’

rcreeker

Thanks, D. Francien has managed, almost single handedly, to turn this discussion into a Punch & Judy show. Tellingly ironic, that, given the opening line of Elizabeth’s post, the one about maintaining a positive attitude. Although there have been a few interesting points made, especially about ways to legally oust Harper before he gets voted out in a general election, most of what’s been said here amounts to a statistical pissing contest rendered futile by right-wing refusal to accept which piss counts.

Personally, I’m very much on Liz May’s side because I find her the only federal politician who is willing to speak truth to power. But in terms of the issues involved – in this case, environmental concerns – I find it much more fruitful to engage in direct action. So far, that has meant vocal protest in any arena I can find, including the Enbridge Joint Review Panel hearings. My fundamental argument is that I demand a citizen’s right to democratic government between elections, instead of the dictatorial rule being imposed by SHarper.

Dietrich Pajonk

2 trillion dollars have been spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are countries that NEVER wanted the west there for ANY reason. THEY HATE OUR GUTS! (And I can’t say I blame them.) Imagine the carbon footprint made there! Ships, planes, factories, army land vehicles such as jeeps, and of course the Hummers (gotta have THOSE!) tanks, etc, plus missiles, bullets, bombs, radioactive dirty bombs, factories… all belching filth into the sky. What exactly is good about this? Who benefits from this? Maybe you??? Got stock in Haliburton? They profited upwards of $45 billion on the misery of 2 nations and many soldiers who will never come home to their loved ones. But hey, I guess that’s just how the world works, huh?

The REAL world works this way: We have a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere, wind and water currents. Increasing greenhouse gases increase the ocean temperatures causing severe weather, rising seas, melting glaciers and ice caps. This is ALL NEW in the past 30 years. Ou see, Mother Earth is correcting herself, and will correct our sorry asses all the way into our graves. She doesn’t care about “how the world works”.

2 trillion dollars spent on a renewable and clean energy infrastructure on the other hand would have made North America meet and far exceed any emissions targets. Japan and Germany are shutting down ALL nuclear and fossil fuel energy generation.

Maybe the world should start working in a DIFFERENT way?

Francien Verhoeven

I am 100% certain that the Rurh region in Germany will not shut down energy supplied by nuclear and/or fossil fuel energy generation.

Dietrich Pajonk

So let’s just give up then. I’m gonna buy me a Hummer, fill it up with purple gas and do donuts in the Walmart parking lot. After that I’m gonna dump some diesel oil in the Capilano Reservoir for some good fun. Then I’m gonna hop over to Burrard Inlet, find me a pipeline that’s leaking (because they are really easy to find by anybody except the people who manage them), fill up my canteen and run over to Stanley Park and pour some crude on the heads of some ducks who have the audacity to preen their feathers while sunning and feeding in the Lost Lagoon. In fact, I’ll make sure they are all baby ducks! After that, I’m gonna take my Lund fishing dinghy and ram a sailboat in English Bay and take bets on how long the hover craft from Richmond gets there because $800,000/year is too much to spend on a coast guard station in Kitsilano. Besides Prince Rupert needs that $800,000/year for a Coast guard station there because of all the double hulled oil tankers (btw, ALL cargo ships are double hulled) that are going to run aground and spill oil all over the extremely environmentally sensitive waterways there, so they can rescue all the drunken ship captains for poor little cash strapped Enbridge.

Sure science splits both ways. How about we use science for the right things and not the wrong things? This is possible. Or, we can just give up like you are so ready to do.

Francien Verhoeven

I am not giving up. Just think. The splitting of the atom has brought mankind much good but also much much bad. To ignore that fact is to be ignorant, willingly.

Ilse

Francien you can’t even spell Ruhr, so how do you know what is going on in Germany? Do you know something the rest of us don’t? Are you jealous of Germany’s accomplishments?

rcreeker

Francien, a woman who can’t stop talking but has nothing to say is one of the most lamentable features of what you call the real world.

craigcantin

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let’s please keep our discussions from being personal. Thank you.

rcreeker

I’m sorry, Craig, but Francien makes it impossible to avoid the personal. She’s an agent provocateur. “Making nice” is not an option, anymore than it is in dealing with Stephen Harper.

Francien Verhoeven

And rcreeker misses an opportunity once again to answer some questions. You must be really enjoying my posts; you keep following me around. I don’t mind though. The more followers the merrier!

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Has Francien ever agreed with anyone about anything?

Francien Verhoeven

What is your points? I am not here to agree or disagree. I am merely stating some facts. And the facts are that scientific solutions do cut both ways. Any thinking person can clearly see that.

53yearindustrial electrician

What’s you point then…..? Do you have a point? I see just more of the same garbage every day from your posts. No one cares about you at all! I’ve been reading you a long time and well I thought I would reply once and only once as this is probably a waste of time but I can’t help it! Francine, I hate you very much! Please go away and do everybody a favor. Bye!

Anti

No its a adoring memeber or Heir harpers camp to disrupt any real truth in conversations, best to ignore as a plant.

Why

It’s true that scientific solutions cut both ways–what’s its bloody relevance here? If anything, Harper is slashing any stab at figuring this out.

brad

the oceans and plants stop producing oxygen at certain temperature’s so even the wealthy are screwed…. unless they live in bubbles rest there lives lol

Well said, Elizabeth. (And Ralph, for that matter. Even the Liberals know when they see errors in Canada’s international policies.) We’ll do our best to keep knowledge alive – it is becoming trying, very trying as the egregious moral failures of the Harperites keep adding up and up and up.

Francien Verhoeven

Who are these Harperites you keep referring to? I don’t know a party by the name of ‘Harperites’. Perhaps you are referring to the CPC. Yes, such is a political party. Is it difficult for you to use a political party’s name? Why? Too lazy? Too arrogant?

Heinz Mayr (PEI)

the way i see it , you must be the queen of the “Harperites”

Qwerty Man

Shut up – I mean really.Whose being condescending now?

Francien Verhoeven

I am condescending? You must be really ignorant for being able to say that.

Anti

really.. I dont think so

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Francien, “Harperites” in no way refers to the CPC (IMO). It refers to the loyal minions of Mr. Harper; i.e. those (like you?) who are paid to parrot Harper’s talking points and do not think or speak for themselves. I know a number of good people who are members of the CPC and who are horrified by Harper. I would not call them “Harperites.”

Francien Verhoeven

Oh, that is how you reason. Very well then, you must be a Sierra Club member and racking up the points when you throw around falsehoods. Or are you working hard to save for putting up some solar panels? Sierra Club members believe in solar panels, right? The scientists say it is the best way for making clean energy. Too bad I don’t see them on roofs. It must be not true then that solar is good.

Anti

Tiresome now….. boring..

Vasper85

All energy comes from the sun. Fossil fuels is liquid sunshine. So we have proof of concept that we can run society off of solar.

http://www.facebook.com/connie.kuramoto Connie Kuramoto

Name calling is, I guess to be expected from a CPC party voter.

Francien Verhoeven

Connie, I suggest you open your eyes and mind and read my posts and read those of the Green Party supporters and then let me know again who is doing the name-calling. (hint: it isn’t me!)

Anti

really tiresome …

Francien Verhoeven

We agree. Very tiresome to read name-calling on this comment site. Perhaps you would tell Connie that an adult conversation deals with questions and answers, not empty slogans.

Is it not correct to say that Ms.May belonged to the Sierra Club?

Vasper85

Of course condescending behaviour is totally ok right?

Dan

CPC is the Christian fundamentalist party, left over from Preston Manning and disguised as the CPC, wolf in Sheeps clothing. Stealing votes. Conservatives are the sheep following blindly.

Francien Verhoeven

And so the Green Party is the Sierra Club in sheep’s clothing, with followers following blindly without doing anything about the environment other than talk!

why

Evidence?

Vasper85

Well that is interesting. True we cannot accuse the CPC of just talk when it comes to the environment. They act…by gutting environmental protections.

Rough McHewn

It used to be that there was a troll under the bridge: Now there is a troll under every post.

Hey! Is that you Stephen?

disqus_ClKnHEf2bi

I know of no country named Harper, so why would he (Harper) and all the rest of his supporters insist that the Canadian Government be referred to as the Harper Government?

Second, grand marshall Steve-o over there, he wants us all to believe it’s his government. I think I’ve heard him refer to it as “the Harper Government”. And damn if the last time I checked, I couldn’t find a Province, Terrirtory, county, district or country named “Harper”. And even if there was, I’m certain it’s not Canada. So unless he’s moving to Harperkistan, then I see no need to continue allowing him to usurp our government.

So I guess the final thing to say is “Harper No More”!

Jess

How many of these comments were derived from going to the UNCCD site and researching it? Unless you’ve done that you’ve nothing of value to say.

http://www.facebook.com/bethwallaceinhfx Beth Wallace

Its crazy unless, like he said, it is overly bureaucratic? I am not a fan of Harper’s policies or his execution. In fact I call him, Slimeminister Harper, and that we now have Harpocracy not democracy but I do know that bureaucratic programs and agencies are costing tax payers a lot more money than actual just providing services. Thanks for your hard work!

Francien Verhoeven

So nice to read some common sense here on this comment board: yes, 80% of any program spent on bureaucrats is ludicrous. And people, including Ms.May, believing otherwise, need their attitudes examined! Thank you for sending them in the right directions!

RachelliC

If we leave it, then we cannot work towards fixing the issues of the program. How long do you hang out in here?

Francien Verhoeven

How long would you like me to hang out here?

Heinz Mayr (PEI)

Of course there are trolls everywhere

Francien Verhoeven

I know I am not a troll. And it probably bugs you to know full well that I am not a troll, but you must say something if you don’t want to answer any of the questions I pose.

Heinz Mayr (PEI)

Not really, i am used to trolls like you who actually have nothing to say except that they are fans of Harper and his destructive government. Of course some day you might grow up and realize how much harm this government is doing to this country. But on the other hand, you might never grow up.

Francien Verhoeven

Let us see how grown up you are, by answering the following questions:

Is solar power available to the individual home owner?

If so, why do we see hardly any solar panels installed on Canadian roofs?

Looking forward to your mature answers.

Heinz Mayr (PEI)

So far i have been building my own, and i am quite sure, since you are so smart , you are building your own too, or are you waiting for the taxpayer to pay for yours. On the other hand, since you are so great at sucking up to your friend Harper, he just might pay for yours, in exchange for being a troll on this site. You may go back to your playpen now…..god only knows how you got out of there anyway.

Qwerty Man

Until you can provide a balanced view – you really should go. No one disagrees that 80% on admin is BS but give the Harper cheerleading a break – your making yourself look bad.

Francien Verhoeven

Please tell me which of my views are not balanced? The view which states that many on this boards prefer name-calling over posting substance on any given topic? Or the view which states that scientific solutions always cut both ways, for the bad and the good? What is not balanced about those views?

Please, tell me which of my postings is not about seeking balance from others on this board?

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Since you contribute nothing of value, maybe you could hang out somewhere else. Off you go then…

Francien Verhoeven

I had always thought that the GPC and Ms.May were all for open debates. What has changed? Or do you not believe in what Ms.May stands for? Is it not true when Ms.May says that we should have an open debate?

craigcantin

Healthy debate is a wonderful thing. No one has a monopoly on good – or bad – ideas. Let’s not get into personalities or name calling, folks, or accusing one another of being trolls. All are welcome on this website. If you think Francien is wrong about Kyoto targets, debate the point. (A quick google search should provide lots of fodder to counter that point.) If you agree with her, that’s a-okay here too. If you don’t like what someone says, do as I do…skip the message. Life’s too short to get into a knot over one person on one website. Thanks everyone!

Francien Verhoeven

Thank you, craigcantin, for such a mature answer.

Yes, an adult debate would be very helpful. I really am baffled why the Kyoto accord was valuable for Canada if our emission reductions did not keep up with the Kyoto accord numbers, and secondly, it would be interesting to find out why solar panels are not placed on Canadian roofs in order to reduce global warming, for is the intent of solar panels not the idea for reducing CO2 emissions? Am I wrong? If so, how so?

Vasper85

Kyoto never had any teeth, in my opinion. It was not legally binding from the outset. Of course countries and their leaders could actually do as they say and Honour their word but instead they weasel out of it.

Seeking Truth

thanks for your oversight

Anti

Does anyone remember Rowan and Martins Laugh In years ago, and there was this dreadfull telephonist that listened in to everyones calls and made disparaging remarks…..

Seeking Truth

yes, think it may have been Lily Tomlin … have you seen the New Zealand ‘Untouchable Girls’??? absolutely hilarious jibes at the government foibles – they are twins, & have been singing & getting away with it for years. Often the laughter gets the message across best.

Corey

If you’re in the ball game you can work towards changing the rules. If you’re out…well, you just plain gave up.

Francien Verhoeven

Ball game of what? Giving away money to bureaucrats to hold meetings endlessly on the public dime? Fake, fake, fake solutions to real problems.

Rapson

You clearly have zero knowledge of how the UN and global diplomacy works. Try learning instead of trolling some time.

Francien Verhoeven

And what have you learned so far? You have learned to evade questions.

Dest D

I have never felt that my vote counted more than the day I voted for you!

Francien Verhoeven

I have never felt that my vote counted more than the days I voted for Mr.Harper! Best PM we have had in decades!

RachelliC

Keep sucking back that kool aid.

http://www.facebook.com/jo.unrau Jo Unrau

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything more foolish. Have you had a serious head injury?

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Thanks for coming straight out with your allegiance Francien. I always suspected that you were here for trolling purposes only. How much is Harper paying you? Or do you just have a pathological need to seek enemies?

Francien Verhoeven

Actually Gretchen, I’m here to point out the hypocrisy. Why is it that we see no solar panels on roofs in Canada if that is what Ms.May and so many scientific articles are telling us is the right thing to do? How could you preach what you preach but not practice it?? That is what I am asking but no one here on this board is willing to give me an answer. Must be on orders from above that you cannot answer questions before they are ok’s by Ms.May.

Vasper85

Why are there few solar panels? Certainly it has nothing to do with all the oil, coal and gas subsidies that the fossil fuel industry gets. Porters five forces: raise barriers to new entrants. It is amusing when you use Harpers obvious bias against renewables as proof that renewables don’t work.

Francien Verhoeven

Another person trying to find excuses for not having to put solar panels on roofs. Very hypocritical.

If solar panels are so good, why do we see so very few on top of Canadian roofs? Why not answer the question with an answer which has nothing to do with others but with the will of individuals themselves? What about individual behaviour?

Sleel

Surely it has nothing to do with them being expensive as hell. While having abysmal efficiency ratings. While companies the world over that make them are still going bankrupt because they can’t compete without massive subsidies.

Also has nothing to do that as a northern country the sun will be hitting those panels at an angle to make them completely useless. Couldn’t have anything to do with practicality at all.

And no. I don’t support subsidies for any company at all. The government has no business taking money from one company, or citizen, to prop up another.

If the people buying their product think it’s worth it, they’ll buy it without telling me I have to pay for a chunk of it.

No subsidies for ANY company. Period.

Vasper85

Sleel, that is what energy costs. If we actually practiced true cost accounting (incorporating all externalizations) we’d see that fossil fuel is pretty costly as well. Oil not only gets tax subsidies, it gets subsidized by nature as well.

disqus_ClKnHEf2bi

I have solar panels at my house.

Francien Verhoeven

That’s easy to say if you are not even willing to state as much under a real name . Keep doing the fake stuff. It’s easy!

disqus_ClKnHEf2bi

Donna Ross

BrianneHunt

I have seen you post a few times about solar power. You seem stuck on the subject, so maybe it needs to be addressed. Solar is a wonderful power source that has the potential to become widely used. At this point it is somewhat unfeasible for many people in residential homes. To completely power a large building or a home requires many panels and large battery cells that are quite expensive and can take up a lot of space. Though you will save money in the end once you have the set up, the initial cost can be more than many people can afford. The reason people support this type of energy so much is because it is our best alternative at the moment in many opinions. The more this energy is supported, hopefully, more research will be able to be put into it, finding ways to reduce the size and price of panels/batteries. Instead of subsidies for oil and gas companies, the Canadian government needs to be using that money to further research in alternative sustainable energy sources, as well as providing subsidies for contractors and residents so that these sustainable energy sources (such as solar power) are available to everyone. I would also like to mention, that solar energy is not right for everyone in Canada. You need a certain amount of direct sun hours to create enough energy to run a home. If you are in a place that has many days of cloud (such as the coast) or does not get enough hours of sun light during the day (such as up north in the winter months), solar power may not be the best option. The government needs to be supporting the research of other alternatives as well.

Francien Verhoeven

You say that solar panels are costly to install. And you also are of the opinion that government should pick up some of the costs.

But why can so many Canadians fly to Mexico for a family vacation? That costs a lot of money too and in fact, the flights taken adds considerably to the green house gas emissions.

So how to explain that Canadians have money to take expensive holidays but are not have money enough to place solar panels on their roofs? That to me reeks of hypocrisy.Why do so few people practice what they preach?

Dietrich Pajonk

Well, as for me, I’m going to stay out of Mexico, keep my kidneys, and keep my belly free of condoms filled with heroin. I drive a 4 cylinder, but will buy a Volt as soon as I can. My buddy bought one and he LOVES it… and he’s a car guy. When I buy my own home, I will purchase solar panels, solar shingles for my roof and a wind turbine. Oh, and I am also an apprentice plumber, learning to manage the worlds 2 most precious resources: water and air. I will also be getting my b-gas ticket when I write my IP. In ten years, I will be more important than ANY lawyer (career wise). I will be installing radiant heating system in my home because it is most efficient. I recycle, make many of my own foods from scratch, because processed store bought crap is disgusting. My wife hires a local seamstress to make her jeans, because if a woman is going to spend $100 and up for jeans, they might as well fit her own body. I also garden and eat food from that I grow. It’s DELICIOUS! I know these things aren’t much. I have a long way to go, but it’s a start.

So, Ummmm… what are you doing to make changes for the better? Buying stocks in Nexen? Or will you perhaps start doing something that actually benefits your community in a long term, sustainable fashion.

Or are you of the belief, like Harper, that “He Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins”?

Francien Verhoeven

If and when , later, later, you will probably place solar panels on your roofs. Good for you. Don’t take responsibility now. You’ll do it later. Good stuff.

Dietrich Pajonk

Wow! You don’t listen, do you? I said, I am an apprentice plumber. This is what we do. We mange natural resources, which, as I m learning to do, install solar panels and wind turbines, green roof technology, gray water reservoirs, geothermal systems, radiant heating systems, steam heating, boilers… all kinds of fancy shmancy stuff. This IS the way things are going, whether you like it or not. I AM doing these things. I AM taking responsibility, and action NOW.

You still didn’t mention what YOU are going to do, or are doing to contribute to your community for a sustainable future. Anything?

Francien Verhoeven

I’ve read that you’re an apprentice plumber. So many people are.

You many learn all about installing solar panels, and many others have learned about installing solar panels.

The thing is, when I drive through Canadian cities, I don’t see solar panels installed on roofs.

Dietrich Pajonk

Well Francien, I do see solar panel on many people’s roofs. Not the majority, but we hhave to start some place: Green roof technology is being installed on more and more of my city’s buildings. Many commercial/office buildings are taking those first steps. And the use of the technology is growing. In fact, on one of the Gulf Islands, there is no hydroelectric power at all. People’s homes are completely powered by wind turbines and solar panels. These people live quite comfortably and do not miss out on any amenities. They get to enjoy TV, the internet, washers & dryers etc. This is in a part of the country where the sky is grey for a real hefty portion of the year. I don`t know where you are driving, but suffice it to say, it’s difficult to see what’s on top of a building when you are driving on the ground.

Yes, the technology is expensive at first, but pays for itself in the long run. As more and more of this technology is used, developed and perfected, the cost will come down – just like anything else. I can’t speak for anyone else, but these are the technologies I plan on installing in my own home when I can afford to buy one… Not so easy yet on an apprentice’s wages… but it will come. My children will be born into this technology. This will be NORMAL to them. They will read/hear the kind of nay-saying that you keep poisoning yourself and the people around you with, and look at your comments like society looks at cigarette smoking these days: disgusting and insane.

Sure, there’s nothing particularly special about being a trades person. And you are correct: many people’s occupations are in the trades. I will tell you though that learning my trade is proving very useful. However, in EVERY trade, energy efficient technology is being used more and more. This is what’s so exciting about my future. As you say “many others have learned about installing solar panels”, only proves that people are learning about and making these kinds of positive changes in the world around them. It has to start somewhere. I certainly don’t look to our current administration for any kind of guidance in these matters.

But your arguments are weak and have no point except to be a contrarian. Very sad. So, I am being the thorn to you that you think you are to everyone on this discussion forum. It appears you spend your entire life sitting in front of a computer hanging out with the Tea Party, being negative, defending the draconian “old boys school”, and injecting poison into the world around you. I will ask only one more time (and I find it strange that you haven’t given any kind of answer so far): What are you doing to contribute to an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable future for yourself and this great country’s children? Anything????

Don’t reply unless you can tell me that you are doing at least one thing, however small, to contribute to an energy efficient and environmentally sustainable future.

Francien Verhoeven

Let me tell you first off that I have nothing negative to say about the trades. In fact, I value people who have learned a trade as much or even more than people who have over studied in university! I like practical people. We need more of them, not less. Sometimes I think our societies have too many people going to university instead of learning something more practical. That is not to say that I think university and science is for naught; of course not. We need both; the trades AND the theorists. And I would regard them both as equally important!

Yes, probably over time, more people will put solar panels onto their roofs. I have been on Vancouver Island just last summer and did see very few solar panels, if any.

New technologies, such as solar panels, and wind energy will develop better products over time just as the technology to use gasoline engines has improved over time.

But solar and wind energy cannot yet pull of a reliable supply to service large industries or large cities.

Change can not be forced. Change takes time. And a natural evolution of people’s behaviour will make the changes real.

Seeking Truth

because the most powerful, wealthy oil & gas lobby has seduced the governments to subsidize them & not the green solutions, keeping the green solutions expensive, & not a ‘usual’ practice.You don’t see the popular media promoting the green successes which abound around the world.

Francien Verhoeven

Oh, you and others are waiting for the government to pay for the solar panels.

Could you please indicate what subsidies the oil and gas industry is reveiving right now, or will you simply no longer respond to such a question?

BrianneHunt

In 2008, Canada’a economic action plan indicated that the federal government would be fazing out fossil fuel subsidies. In June of 2012 the Peter Kent (environmental minister) said that the government still plans on taking this action. Nothing has been done yet. From what I know, these subsidies still exist today. The government may be making claims that they will be removing these subsidies, but no action has been taken since the notice that these subsidies would be removed was released to the public almost five years ago. It is absolutely NO secret that these subsidies exist Francien, but here is your proof.

Nobody is asking for the government to pay for everyone to install solar energy into their homes. There was a program put out by the government in many provinces to give small grants to home owners who would like to renovate and install alternative energy systems in their homes. Most of these programs are now finished and these grants are no longer available. You may have noticed I wrote, “home owners.” That leaves out a majority of people who live in situations where they do not have control of where the energy in their home comes from (apartment buildings, condos, home rentals.) Prices need to come down before developers and landlords will begin to purchase solar energy units to install in their retal homes/new developments. For this to happen subsidies for installations and grants into alternative energy need to be made available by our government.

Francien Verhoeven

Do you have any hard numbers as to what those oil and gas subsidies add up to and what those subsidies were for?

If solar panels are expensive to purchase (most are manufactured in China, even the ones used in Europe) and are so expensive to install, why then would people not choose to forgo some expensive holiday costs for flights, to use that money for installing solar panels?

There are a lot of homeowners who have the money to go on several holidays yet are not willing to pay for solar panels. Such decision making confuses me greatly.

Vasper85

I am equally confused as to why homes are not built to a passive house standard as it is only marginally more expensive than building a regular home. I think it comes down to education and what people are comfortable with (as in what they grew up with).

Vasper85

But you are “only asking questions”, right?

Francien Verhoeven

Yes, I agree. Houses could be build much differently. And, of course, there is no real need to build big houses, as is the case for Al Gore and David Suzuki and others.

53yearindustrial electrician

What’s you point then…..? Do you have a point? I see just more of the same garbage every day from your posts. Solar panels again???? No one cares about you at all! I’ve been reading you a long time and well I thought I would reply once and only once as this is probably a waste of time but I can’t help it! Francine, I hate you very much! Please go away and do everybody a favor. Bye!

Francien Verhoeven

My point is that the technology to place solar panels on Canadians roofs has been on the market for years now. And so why do we see hardly any solar panels on Canadians houses?

Is it that people don’t want to spend the money individually? Do the people feel that all renewable energy must be subsidized by government in order to make use of the renewable energy? Are people not that concerned about global warming and therefore won’t act on an individual level?

I am just wondering how it could be that the solar technology has been around for quite some time and yet we see very little of it used in Canadian society. And I am trying to figure out why that is so.

ao

First we have to make our homes much more energy efficient. You want solar panels? Then you better have efficiency.

And to get the efficiency, we have to use scientific and natural principles. All that information, unfortunately, is being muzzled, diluted and buried by Prime Minister Poutine aka RoboMinister 2.0 aka Harpo the clown dictator.

Next you need to start advancing that technology, but once again, our school systems are being seriously underfunded and undermined by a PC gov’t. The dumbing down of America by the U.S. version of Little Stevie Bozo, Bush (no child left behind) is working so well, that Canada is following suit. By increasing the amount of debt a student can’t afford, it’s easy to see why some of the potentially brightest brains in Canada, simply will never develop to help make Canada a world leader in technology development, medical research and environmental leadership.

So that lack of research and development is declining a fast pace. Almost as fast as the evisceration of our environmental laws, practices and human rights and freedoms.

But there are solutions already out there. And small minded people like Harper cannot stop it. Nor will he survive an uprising. Hope he has at least his escape boat bought, paid for and built out of all that money they put into our military ship program!

Google ‘earthships’. This is the type of solution we can all stand behind.

But solar technology is available already. Solar panels are in operation.

Why the need to do the namecalling? Why Prime Minister Poutine or Robominister? Why is it so difficult to mention the PM by his name?

Are you that immature to call people by their real name?

truth rules

sorry you’re so touchy about robocalling – did you get bumped from that assignment to the even more pathetically unethical one of trolling green part websites. what is your real name anyways, lets call you “robocall wannabe”, or “lie about the cost of F35′s harper” or “largest deficit in Canadian history harper”.

Francien Verhoeven

Interesting world we live in. The person who uses a real name is not being believed, and a person who comments under a false name accuses others of trolling. Must be a new age understanding of the world.

And still, no valuable answer given as to why solar panels are not being installed on Canadian roofs!

truth rules

Hello harper’s hapless tax policy – any real conservative wouldn’t be associated with reducing the GST. you should really not pretend you are someone you’re not. you know your real purpose has nothing to do with solar panels, you are a harperite with your only interest being to disturb greens and there constitutional right to affiliate and organise.

an ethical person with no interest in the green cause wouldn’t be trolling the green sites. what is your real name? what is your real interest in the green discussions? examine your heart and recoil at your corruption.

Francien Verhoeven

My real interest in visiting this site is to try and get a handle on how Green Party supporters think. I do not need to resort to name-calling in order to pose some questions.

I do find it very strange that the GPC is all about promoting renewable energy, yet when it comes to the subject of solar panels and the individual commitment to it, I find no substance here on this board.

I wonder why the GPC supporters don’t practice what they preach. I am just curious.

And as to the GST tax; as far as I’m concerned, it could be lowered even more!

truth rules

can you explain why harper phoned your banker to tell him to increase your mortgage interest rates rather than letting capitalism set rates – that’s not conservatism, but harperism (sounds communist)

since your real name isn’t francien I’ll call you “I don’t live in PEI, but I’ll lie and say that I do harperite”

your only purpose is to unethically disrupt green party members in their democratic right to organise – its despicable.

of course you are poorly informed about good tax policy, that is why you are a harperite and not a real conservative. a good conservative knows we should eliminate income taxes and tax waste.

you’re in the right party for unethical behaviour, get off the green party boards if you’re not here to advance the green cause.

go to an electrician to install solar panels.

Francien Verhoeven

Harper did not phone any banker about interest rates.

Why would you want me to get off the Green Party boards? Is Ms.May not being serious when she says that we need more open debates?

I know you are a harper minion told to troll green sites so you aren’t ethical enough to understand the difference between open debate and trolling. go back to waste-ative land. sorry you’re so unethical.

Francien Verhoeven

Green Party supporters must be proud of your behaviour here.

I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do or where to post my comments. I am just a very curious person by nature and seriously wonder why it is so difficult for you to address the real issues about solar panels.

truth rules

you can lie to yourself, but not to others – i see through your falsehoods. which eda is paying you to disrupt real green party discussion.

if you want to explain the failure of harper’s environmental policy ask harper – since you’re one of his robo callers you should have a direct line. california and germany have been incredibly successful at installing solar panels, your harperite government should look to them for answers about your failure

Francien Verhoeven

So because other countries are successful at installing solar panels, Canadians should not install them?

truth rules

sorry i forgot you’re a harperite (lover of ineffective tax increases as long as harper tells you they’re good) so you refuse to think for yourself, allow me to elaborate.

your harper/ waste-ative government has enacted policy to discourage solar panel installation, while forward thinking governments in germany and ca have enacted public policy to encourage installing solar panels.

since your government is in power and has failed to enact good policy encouraging installation of solar panels, you need to ask harper (no one in harperland thinks, he doesn’t let them) why he has failed Canadians so miserably. good luck with that task, your robo call direct line to harper should help

truth rules

you can lie to yourself, but not to others – i see through your falsehoods. which eda is paying you to disrupt real green party discussion.

if you want to explain the failure of harper’s environmental policy ask harper – since you’re one of his robo callers you should have a direct line. california and germany have been incredibly successful at installing solar panels, your harperite government should look to them for answers about your failure

truth rules

Hi “complex tax code lover”, this just in Waste-atives (pretending to be conservatives) are raising tariffs on bicycles to 13 per cent from 8.5 per cent, an increase which will cost Canadian cyclists $6-million annually.

given you are a harperite trollling on the green website, i suppose you’re excited about increasing taxes because harper told you to like it. you have so many identities, its hard to decide on one.

Go back to harper land, your pathetically corrupt ways are not welcome here. go subvert the waste-atives to real conservatism

Francien Verhoeven

Only particular goods are being tariffed. Not all goods are. In fact, you can find lots of products which are NOT being tariffed.

Consumers will have to make choices; buy cheap Chinese goods and pay the tariff, or buy products produced by countries which have a trade agreement with Canada. You have a choice; use it wisely.

It must be true then that you don’t favour open debate on issues. Sorry to hear that. I think your party leader thinks differently.

truth rules

you are a harperite so you’re either not too bright or an inveterate liar, or both. discussion is good, trying to destroy open discussion is not you are only interested in obstruction and lies. partly why you don’t even know harper is phoning banks to tell them how to run their businesses. knowing what you’re talking about makes it impossible to be a harperite, waste-ivist. knowing what you’re talking about is a prerequisite for conserve-atism

truth rules

I’m no Liberal, but I’d be embarrassed to be affiiliated with the evil doers running and funding the harperites. (they have nothing to do with conservatism). See the harper fund raising letter below.

I’m very sorry you support and serve a leader and party that are disgusting muck-rakers and liars.

On Monday, we launched three new ads informing Canadians that Justin Trudeau is in way over his head.

Unsurprisingly, some members of the media are criticizing our new TV ads. They are circling the wagons.

But here’s the truth — these ads have spread farther and faster than any ads we’ve ever done. We are communicating directly with Canadians rather than passing through the media’s “filter”.

In two days, our ads were viewed more than 270,000 times on YouTube — more views than we have ever received on any video before — including during an election cycle.

We received so much traffic to our website that it temporarily crashed — something that’s never happened before.

Despite what the media wants you to think, the response to our new ad campaign has been overwhelming.

We need to make sure every Canadian sees these ads and you can help by making a $25 donation today.

I’d like to thank you for helping make this happen, but our work is far from over

Since your name isn’t really Francien, perhaps we can call you “Muzzle Scientists and citizens harper jr”

New rules implemented due to the rewriting of federal environmental assessment law in omnibus bill C-38 last spring mean Canadians are required to submit a 10 page application, including a resume and references within a two week deadline, just to ask permission from the NEB to submit a letter of comment on pipeline proposals.

Francien Verhoeven

And how many forms need to be filled out before being able to put solar panels on a roof?

truth rules

perhaps your real name is “inefficient tax loving harperite” – nothing like making the tax code more complicated with no benefit to citizens, as your leader has done.

you know everything about hypocrisy, that’s why you lie about your real name and actively subvert green party member democratic rights.

choose truth, stop the unethical behaviour

http://www.facebook.com/connie.kuramoto Connie Kuramoto

Best PM for destroying the environment and for ruining the reputation of Canada around the world.

Anti

LOL really funny… but so pathetic, delusional springs to mind..

Rapson

Then why are you here? You clearly care nothing about progressive values, such as maintaining life on earth. And no one here appreciates your ignorant perspective. So get lost.

Francien Verhoeven

Because everyone on the opposition benches is calling for more open debate. Why, even Ms.May is calling for more open debate.

Is it true what some say, that people here are not interested in open debate? Some in fact are not welcome here? That is interesting, to say the least.

Vasper85

I think no one has any problem with open debate. I think people have a problem with double binds, false analogues and logical fallacies. You protest that you are arguing from a logical scientific perspective, but it doesn’t take much to see that you are not. Your stance on the hypocrisy of the greens based on the low adoption of solar panels for example. You seem to think that it a moral issue and is in no way influenced by politics or economics (indeed even geography). Not do you take into account the history of the fossil fuel apparatus.

Francien Verhoeven

But then, if no one has a problem with open debates, are most of my questions not answered, but only avoided?

I think it is a reasonable question to ask why people would choose to go on holidays rather then spend the money on installing solar panels. Telling me that Canadians don’t own a home is not an answer, but is rather an excuse, because we all know that a lot of people do own their own houses, and could, if so willed , install solar panels on their roofs.

I am saying that Canadians are not really concerned about global warming otherwise we would see many more solar panels on Canadian roofs.

AO

Well maybe the hard work that the average Canadian has to do everyday, then have a good portion of that taken away in taxes to feed an over inflated price tag on a squandering Prime Minister and his completely impotent and muzzled party, would like to take a vacation with their families, as opposed to trying to buy one solar panel that would hardly have an impact. Now if we could all afford a Bev Oda vacation in upscale hotels and enjoy a delicious OJ for breakfast not included in the continental breakfast, or we could afford to abuse tax payer money with two homes, but really live just in one but claim both so we can have more and more money, then I suppose if we could afford all that, then certainly we’d have the leftover money for 8 or 10 solar panels, a solar hot water tank, geo-thermal heated flooring, passive solar heating, rainwater/snowmelt filtering homes with greenhouses to grow our own natural organic non-GMO foods.

But since the PM just wants to keep backing out of environmentally responsible treaties and pacts and continue to put money into advertising what a good job he wants Canadians to believe he is doing, oil & gas initiatives, blatant corruption throughout his party, attack ads against better people than he will ever be, making immigration standards so pathetic that the banks, oil, mining (etc)companies can hire people for lower wages than our standard minimum from foreign communist states to take our jobs while we train them to replace us, not to mention out of control debt, spending and inflation, loan and credit interest rates beyond 30% and unreasonably low air, water and environmental standards, I guess we’ll never know how much better Canada and TRUE Canadians can make not only this country, but the rest of the world.

Just remember, on the bottom of every Conservatives food is a stamp that reads “Made in China”.

This is a dictator in waiting. He might as well change the name of his party to the Regressive Conservatives and name himself Grand Poobah!

I sometimes think that our connection to Britain is one that’s slowing us down. The fact Harpler (all Hail Harpler >snaps heels together<) has wasted more cash on changing our Military back to the "Royal" status for NO necessary reason what-so-ever, makes no sense. He is nothing but secrets and lies. He's two-faced and condescending. He is NOT a leader, he is a weak pathetic egomaniac and he knows his days are limited. I for one support a full-scale revolution. We have numbers, he has… the RCMP and two expensive armoured vehicles. I think we can take him.

Francien Verhoeven

Actually, most solar panels used in Europe are made in China. Does that surprise you?

And furthermore, do you think that UN bureaucrats eating up 80% of a project budget on meetings and some more meetings, didn’t spend money on expensive orange juice? My guess it that yes, those bureaucrats meeting on the UN dime, would have had some expensive orange juice to drink. At least the government is stopping that kind of abuse as well.

AO

On the bottom of every FOOT not FOOD, we already know we don’t have enough farmer subsidies here for food!

Vasper85

Sorry, Nor not Not. I know how important grammar and spelling is in determining the validity of ones arguement. Lastly I’d like to point out, those that are adopting solar and other renewables are those very same greens you are lambasting now.

bcd

I have voted PC my whole life, and that was the last time until I see a fundamental change in that party’s views. Since they merged with the Reform party they no longer represent me or my family. I don’t like all these secret backroom deals, giving away pieces of Canada, to countries that have no moral or ethical compass!

Dennis Jones

100% behind you Elizabeth May. And don’t forget to monitor my Facebook page entitled “The Muzzled Canadian Scientist Journal” because I will be addressing the tragic death of an endangered North Atlantic right whale, the effects of naval sonar on marine mammals, as well as protecting Arctic waters from manmade noise. Wait until you see the response I received from Oceans and Fisheries – a sad testament to this Government’s lack of understanding/caring with regards to sensitive environments!

http://www.facebook.com/canadav8r Mark Adams

Every great leader like you has had those moments, I’m sure. So, it’s gut check time. Think of it like Ali doing a rope-a-dope. The rational extension of such conservatism is no less than their own demise. Fascist-like initiatives are destined to fail. You still need to be there to clean up their dirty work.

Francien Verhoeven

Fascist-like initiatives, you mean like not letting a party candidate run in an upcoming by-election?

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Shall we list all of the “Fascist-like initiatives” Harper has implemented? Or shall we divert attention to others and attempt a “two wrongs make a right” argument?

Francien Verhoeven

The right thing to do is to stay fair on both sides of the fence. It was not me who threw in the words fascist to begin with.

bcd

if your talking about Penashue? wasn’t he caught with his hand in the cookie jar? who would re-elect a known thief? He should be banned from holding any public office EVER. PERIOD!

Peedeecee

There is a documentary called “Dirt” which explains very, very clearly the extent to which it was wrong of Harper to pull Canada out of this treaty. It is not possible that he is shortsighted or ignorant: this must be deliberate and peculiarly malicious. Hidden agenda now has a majority, and seeks for some reason to do damage.

http://www.facebook.com/reid.gilker Reid Gilker

Harper offered no more than a the poorest of excuses for walking away on this. After all we have to realise and take note that he spent over one Million dollars of Canadian tax money to ship two of his own armoured cars to a meeting in India last year, because he didn’t like the armoured vehicles other dignitaries had to use while they were there, that were being supplied by India’s government. Now That was a waste of over “four times” more of Tax payer money for ‘one trip’, than the Canadian government had paid on this climate treaty in a year!

Francien Verhoeven

Canadian Prime Ministers do not decide which vehicle will be used for transport on foreign soils. Such decisions befall the RCMP and security officials.

You are willfully misleading your readers and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Corey

I think you give the readers more credit, and tone down your language.

Francien Verhoeven

I should tone down my language? Have you read some of the other postings? Is name-calling the name of the game here on these boards, because most seem to be doing just that. Or perhaps you too believe there is a Harperite party in Canada.

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Francien are you implying that someone else makes decisions for Harper?

Francien Verhoeven

I am a realist. I don’t need to put falseties in my mind in order to justify my false understanding of the world. We get it, Gretchen, that for you it is necessary to put Harper in a negative light, always, but the facts are different from your self-imposed reality. Security standards are not up to the PM to decide.

Anti

IF you were a ‘realist’ as you put it you could not possible be so blind as to the direction Harper has dragged Canada in , and to the detriment, but hey, harper has done his job for the 1% banksters families and the writting is on the wall he has been found out by the public, so the 1% have groomed and bought a new leader in Trudeau, and he will be just like Obummer, all promises and light and delivers more of the same and worse.

Seeking Truth

right on, Anti …. the brilliant Goldman Sachs ‘graduate’ Mark Carney, was advisor to both Liberal (Martin) & Cons (Harper) finance ministers before being named as Head of the Bank of Canada. … & now (surprise surprise) to the Bank of England in London, where coincidently the head office of Goldman Sachs International resides!!! Heaven help the BOE as England resisted joining the globalization pressure of the EU. & we should resist the blobalization pressure of the UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA. Canadians must insist on viewing the Original & COMPLETE version of the FTA!

Seeking Truth

further: because I believe the FTA was a done-deal scam by Mulroney on the Canadian people. The courageous insider whistle-blower, when weeding out the files at the end (for her boss, Germaine Denis the 3rd negotiator & official shredder, who incidently received the American Medal of Honour) unearthed an ‘Implementation Agenda’ – year-by -year unobtrusive changes had to be made until a great financial crisis (sound familiar?) happened & when the provincial gov’ts couldn’t sustain their debts (jobs & manufacturing being outsourced) they’d beg the IMF for a bail-out – the condition: that Canada would become the 51-54 states of the USA. The unredacted & complete FTA has been secreted for 30 years, after which NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT! That time is almost up & our PM is simply hurrying to IMPLEMENT IT! If Canadians don’t want to lose their sovereignty, they MUST SEE THAT COMPLETE FTA & react. That is the overarching issue.

TickTackToe

Very good Seeking Truth…I’ve always asked what Chairman Harper’s motivations are for the damage he’s done…this is something that must be looked into as there is a looming financial meltdown on the horizon for anyone with the eyes to see it and if you’ve read the whole budget C-38 as our dear Elizabeth May has its closer then you think…

Mahatma Gandhi insisted on riding 3rd class trains as a matter of principle.

Sleel

And was assassinated. Ignoring reality worked out well for him.

Dennis_C

Francien, you are absolutely correct in saying that the RCMP has the final decision in security matters like this. But can say with equal confidence that this decision was not either strongly influenced or demanded by the PM, the PMO or Vic Toews? Although I have little faith in the RCMP, it is beyond credibility to say that they decided on their own to squander more than $1,000,000 on a Harper junket into a safe and democratic country. Do they have such an unlimited budget that a cost such as this can be easily justified? Was there ever a precedence for such a wasteful decision? If you cannot answer these two questions, then it is time to admit that this decision was not solely theirs.

oldballsmr

The RCMP !!?. I thought it was the Toronto PD he takes when he wants to beat on people. I guess i am just glad it didn’t cost 600 million to go india.

Anti

Oh for goodness sake … how nieve can you get..and who tells the RCMP what to do but either Harper a stooge of Harper, who he has bought and paid for into that position… go back to the PMO where you belong

Francien Verhoeven

Could you further explain what ‘nieve’ means?

Josh Buzzell

Harper is going to get paid millions of dollars once he is out of office and he and his family will never have to work again. And in order to avoid punishment he’ll probably buy a bloody mansion in England or China… That’s his democratic reason to dictate Canada and sell us to corporations.

Anti

and on his $6.5 MILLION pension we will pay him, he has been lining his pension fund with his ill gotten gains that WE have to match 23 times for every dollar he puts in… WHAT A SCAM !!!

onewhoknows

You are… right on, Peeceedee!

http://twitter.com/catwithpen Nepeta

Harper is tearing this country apart. Isn’t there any way to get him out of office early? I don’t know how much more of this we can take.

Thank you for this article. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who cries; I thought I was being overly emotional, but it really hurt when I found out about leaving the Kyoto protocol. I just hope we have something left when all this is over.

Josh Buzzell

“Uprise! Kill the dictator!” ~Unkown protester

If enough support is given to non-Conservative Provincial heads like the MP of Alberta or Nova Scotia for example, then a vote of non confidence can be taken. Through that, a peaceful overthrow of Harper can be done.

thanks for that Gruven, I’m sure more people will add to that shortly giving that POS his titles duly earned (or perpetuated)

http://Overgrow.ning.com/ ElectroPig Von FökkenGrüven

Well, I have a nice, relaxing dream that he and his kind all get caught in some situation they can’t lie their way out of, and they get to be the first “permanent residents” of all those new “superprisons” along the 401. You know…the ones he’s making medicinal cannabis illegal so he can imprison 15,000 Canadians?

If that happens, I sincerely hope all of the other prisoners are given a free, lifetime supply of 80-grit condoms…

Jr

lmao, friend we think alike. hope you can have a great day, thanks for the laugh!

soupspoons

Make it 50 grit, and I’ll join the revolt!

Rob

Fifth grit??? Child’s play. I propose 36 grit… dry.

soupspoons

You drive a gritty bargain my friend, … but we have deal. A dry 36 grit it is and count me in on the revolution. Arrest all conservative cronies at once and yard them away to the roadside stockade for a bit of a honing out.

mocato

and really really rough!..how about a bastard file..take off some of the smug?

PG

Adding 2700 new beds to the prison system over the next five years hardly seems like the makings of a dictatorship. I, personally, am tired of thieves and rapists getting off with a slap on their wrists and murderers getting away with a few year sentence. I would like to see Allysson McConnell locke up in one of those new prison cells for a long time. How is serving a 10 month sentence for drowning your two young boys justice. Yes, we do need to get tougher on crime in this country!

Gordon Ball

More prisons are never the answer to reducing crime. Countries with higher incarceration rates do not have lower crime rates. In Canada, violent crime rate has been declining for several years prior to Harper’s vision of super prisons. Your post has nothing to do with Elizabeth May’s concern over the withdrawal of Canada from the UNCCD due to the Harper government.

takebackyourgovernment

I suspect if you check it out, you will see that the real reason the Harper government is ‘getting tough on crime’ is that the operation of the prison system has been privatized, and the privateers have a strong lobby and a strong incentive to increase the number of prisons and prison cells they manage, and they need tough laws to keep them full, in order to maximize their profits. It’s ALWAYS the money! And YES, they would be that callous! And you can also be sure that these same privateers make substantial contributions to the Conservative coffers. Such lobbying is a nice fit for the Conservative ethos and would fall on receptive ears. I would really like to see a formal investigation of this issue. It needs a big effort similar to the investigations done by the likes of “The Fifth Estate”.

D Vandeleur

…more prisons could be a great training opportunity for a police state. We’ve seen this week how these forces can be mobilized to encircle the area of the Boston Marathon terrible incident., but not to forget the mobilising in response to our ‘G-8 protesters’. – two very different causes of ‘incident’. .but irony of ironies! it was not the armed riot squads (Not to denigrate their search) – it was an area HOUSEHOLDER WHO NOTICED BLOOD ON THE BOAT STORED IN HIS BACKYARD! The lesson I learned: the ‘Miss Marple’ awareness can be as valuable as an armed riot squad.

nwgranny

Your article struck a nerve. Of course it’s the money, it is always the money for a type of personality that commits acts that harm people, destroys the environment and creates huge amounts of wealth for them. We have always had those kinds of people, always will. Our job is to curtail their access to power. That means educating our children on the different political agendas and platforms of all parties. On doing due diligence ourselves on what each party’s belief system is. Paying attention to where their money comes from.

Jaeden

tougher on what crime? check statistics canada yourself, you’ll see, as i did, that crime has steadily been decreasing across the board for almost 20 years! on the website, the only stat that had gone up was narcotics busts and the website at the time stated it was likely due to increased pressure form the US gov’t to bust marijuana grow ops.

im all for people being accountable for their CRIME. however, making the minimum mandatory sentence for growing more than 6 marijuana plants to be more sever than somebody who rapes a child without a weapon…? that’s insane.

PCBC

And will the first residents in these new cells be those who have subverted the democratic voting system with robo-calls and fake polling station locations? Seems like election fraud is the fastest growing crime, but chances are slim that our current federal government will diligently pursue those criminals. There might be just a few too many song birds in that nest.

Bard

YA….tell people that crap when people are bieng jailed for minor crap……you are blind!!

TrapperRW

Canada doesn’t need Stephen Harper’s prison system.

We need a leader concerned with creating a society that includes a vision for the needs and well being of all citizens of this land including the least among us. Stephen Harper seems preoccupied with the pressing dictates of the corporate bottom line. No doubt his corporate masters view him as a good dog.

Turn on the television and if it bleeds it leads, BUT despite what the the daily media inundations of fear, bad news and blood might lead us to conclude, today we actually live in the most peaceful era of human experience.

Criminal behavior is an issue for rehabilitation and correction, not the cutting off of a pound of flesh.

We are the first generations of African apes getting our news from global sources delivered at light speed visual form and it seems to turn some portion of our society’s population into Chicken Little.

I would hate to see Canada follow Stephen Harper’s lead toward an American style of incarceration and turn our criminal justice system into a primitive platform for communal revenge on perpetrators of crime.

An eye for an eye just makes the world blind.

Joe Gibbons

Calling for torture? In Canada? Shame on the bunch of you. This forum needs a censor.

Joe Gibbons

Serious? You want to kill him? This is not the way Josh. We do not kill even murderers in Canada. Shame on you!

Francien Verhoeven

And what exactly has Kyoto done for a reduction of CO2 emissions? All countries, including Canada, who signed up under Kyoto with targets in mind and writing, missed those targets by a long, long shot. So what exactly was it about Kyoto that did us any good?

TwoThirty

But that’s not the point, Francien. Sure, Kyoto has accomplished nothing, and they way it is designed it never will. BUT, it is a well meaning policy of throwing money at something, and then feeling smug about it. “We are doing our part” and all that. It’s like throwing a mere pittance of $300,000 at a program that hasn’t done a thing yet, and is mired in bureaucracy. Keep throwing money at it though, along with the rest of the well meaning sheep. Because if we don’t, you know what will happen? People here will cry. And we can’t have that.

Rich

Perhaps your smug, ignorant astroturfing is better suited for the comments section of the National Post or the Sun? It’s okay to have an opposing opinion, if you want to have a meaningful debate. That is clearly not what you’re doing.

Anti

well said..

Sleel

He summed up what Kyoto was perfectly. As The Bard put it best: much sound and fury signifying nothing.

elevate tours

Just because he doesn’t share the same opinion as you, doesn’t mean his opinion isn’t meaningful. I for one totally agree with him, we throw money at environmental problems, like we spend an hour a year turning off the lights for “earth hour.” It’s an easy fix for our busy lifestyles, but really, unless we change our ways, nothing will change. Money doesn’t exist, it is numbers on paper or in cyberspace, the earth does not understand money. Mother nature has a way of doing what she pleases. She’s not going to magically stop having weather events because we pay more attention to them now, or throw more worthless paper notes back to the people that originally gave them to us at interest. The earth will be here long after us, might be colder might be hotter, might be drier might be wetter. Perhaps we are the ignorant ones who feel that our donations to a corrupt union will have a more profound affect than offering animal sacrifices to mother earth. In the end the we are expecting the same outcome, the only difference is the currency has changed.

http://www.facebook.com/bobpisko RJ Pisko

That’s “effect”. Go educate yourself before you pontificate.

whoisdee

No it isn’t. “Affect” is most commonly an adjective, whereas “effect” is generally a noun. “Unaffected” must therefore be a suitable adjective, and the earth is clearly the noun. “Activity,” of the human variety, is the verb.

I could repeat your suggestion that you “go educate yourself,” but I would rather request that you consider the *affect* your snark is having on the other people in your life, both online and offline. Lampooning someone for the fast-vanishing difference between affect and effect is childish intellectual bullying.

D Vandeleur

this isn’t a grammar contest! …. grammar has really gone down the tube since facebook, texting etc. …lets not get into that distraction.

whoisdee

I agree. Edited comments may have made it hard to tell, but I was replying to RJ Pisko’s comment (above mine), which was directed at a comment above that has since been edited. Since it was both childish *and* incorrect, I couldn’t resist pointing out both. When someone wades into a discussion by trying to shame someone else over affect/effect, I think it’s pretty clear that they’re not interested in debating.

Many of the con supporters on this site are just here to troll the rest of us. I’m sure there are lefty trolls on the con sites. There do seem to be some people who are interested in having a real conversation, though, and that’s nice.

D Vandeleur

Thanx! (heh,heh) … there is plenty of education on the internet.

elevate tours

very well said! thanks

elevate tours

thanks for the lesson pal

EL

So, do you like to regularly pretend that the earth is unaffected by human activity? Kyoto represented a willingness to globally acknowledge our environmental impact and curb it all together. It may not have garnered the results we wanted but it was a BEGINNING. As much as I’d like to see more money dedicated to protecting the environment, I am far more concerned with policy changes that enable corporations to act irresponsibly vis a vis the environment, strip Aboriginals of their already sparse land rights and essentially leave us with no clear body responsible for cleaning future oil spills – which of course just means that the gov’t will have to do it with our money.

elevate tours

EL, I do not regularly pretend that we have no Effect (thanks RJ) on the Earth, I am, however, wise enough to realize that we do not control all of the earth’s movements and weather patterns (only some i.e. HAARP). And also realize that there are other factors that contribute to climate change, that we have no control over and that money and policy will never change (i.e. the sun). As far as Kyoto goes, it served a purpose, made people aware and got our leader’s talking about the environment. Aside from capping carbon and proposing more taxes, it has done nothing to initiate environmentally friendly technology. It’s like those relationships we get into, sometimes it’s better to move on. Don’t get me wrong, I have no allegiance to the conservatives, far from it… But they will continue to stay in power as long as the left in divided and the right is united. We are too busy arguing over our differences, than uniting to take the power back to the people. Leaving Kyoto and Desertification programs has nothing to do with saving money to clean up oil spills or reuniting aboriginals with their stolen lands. Do you think the UN thought about aboriginals when they mapped out the earth and created the invisble borders that inhibited them from maintaining their way of life? Or do you think the world bank (close ties with the UN) cares about the desertification of Africa when they profit from it, basically enslaving third world countries to pay back debts offerred to feed the people after the desertification? When the countries can’t pay the insane debts back they take their crops, force them to plant export only crops (most likely GMO’d) and let the people starve… So do we really need to continue to support such acts? Is there much of a difference between a Kyoto summit and a G8 summit? please excuse my uneducated pontifications…

D Vandeleur

I hear the UN is backed by the Trilaterals ,,, that bunch is behind the globalization (Germany-EURO, Japan-ASIEN, America-USN&SA) – not sure of the correct names.But they are dangerous to countries’ sovereignty!

elevate tours

Yes, I have heard similar stories about the UN. I have also heard about the one world government and, by the looks of things, it’s already taking place. (EU) A real threat to every countries’ sovereignty. The North Amero isn’t far off either, Harper has already handed our sovereignty over to the US, he’s had secret meetings about border patrols, and it doesn’t look like it won’t be long before the US border security will be stepping on to our soil and policing our people.

Anti

Fran is so blind and blinkered, its sickening, perhaps she gets paid from the PMO to ruin these discussions or try to perpetuate the spin from the PMO office which spends MILLIONS of OUR dollars promoting itself. and dont get me going on Panda’s at a million a year to RENT,, what a clod …

Sleel

So, talking into an echo chamber is what passes for discussion amongst the left? Good to have that confirmed.

Vasper85

i’ve been bounced out of my fair share of right leaning forums to know what the difference between an echo chamber and a discussion. This is definitely not an echo chamber.

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Thanks for confirming my expectations Francien!

Ann Coffey

This is not true. Several European countries have not only met their emissions reduction commitments, but have exceeded them.

Francien Verhoeven

Which countries are you referring to? Would you do us all a favour and name those countries.

Fiddis

Well, Great Britain, France and Germany all were on track to meet their phase 1 commitments to Kyoto, while the EU as a whole set a pace to exceed their goal of reduced emissions.http://m.upi.com/story/UPI-26661351247400

Francien Verhoeven

Well, another UN report. What about an independent report showing independent numbers and facts?

http://www.facebook.com/melldclute Mell D’Clute

We realize that the Cons and Con supporters like you don’t give a crap about the world or participating in world organizations like the UN, but most of us do take what the UN says seriously. What about you? Where are you getting your “facts” from? Besides Harper, of course…

big mouth

The UN has this aura of goodness around them…like NATO ..then there is the World Bank and all these organizations…who are the people behind them???and who runs those people…kind of anonamous eh?? sorry cant trust them to be as some country is dominating …one guess.

Seeking Truth

look up the attendees of the Trilateral Commission , Bilderbergs, etc. & try to track their subsequent political actions. Pay attention to these organizaions’ purposes. & of course Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs – he is their star graduate – trace his actions before his position as head of Bank of Canada – very interesting reading.. I had great admiration for his youthful brilliance. Now I find it scarey.

Gordon Ball

What does “anonamous” mean?

big mouth

means an un known mouse

Jr

Anonamous is an incorrect spelling of “Anonymous”, which means; Adjective (of a person) Not identified by name; of unknown name. Having no outstanding, individual, or unusual features; unremarkable or impersonal. Synonyms nameless – authorless – unnamed

Sleel

Yes, because a morally bankrupt, self serving organization dedicated to expanding it’s bureaucracy at the worlds expense is so independent and reliable. The same place that puts the likes of Libya and Iran on human rights boards, and women’s rights particularly. That like to tell us we are so oppressive, at the behest of similar bastions of moral turpitude. And who while decrying our “carbon footprint” ignore the size, distributed nature of our population, and the fact that we kinda have to heat our homes for over half the year.

You mean that kind of sensible sources?

http://twitter.com/frackfreenb frackfreenb.ca

Whatever website is saying what they want to hear.

http://twitter.com/gfunkdub GFUNKDUB

The UN *is* independent you dolt!!! That’s the point of having a UN!!!! Really stretching credulity

big mouth

FYI The Rockefellers gave the land in New York for the U N building.-just thought that was interesting. The UN includes WHO,The UN population fund,The UN environment program and others probably. Why arent the leaders of these organizations not more evident than Obama…? Isnt it odd that the UN’s decisions only protect certain countries and do nothing for the real victims..over and over again?? If the UN was independent every country would be represented. The point of having a ‘UN’ is to make the masses believe their one side. .

Francien Verhoeven

So you think the UN is an independent body. You have certainly stirred my curiosity with that observation. Could you expand on that thought, as in how the UN is capable of being independent? For instance, who pays the bills for the organization and who has voting rights and how?

And how many of those countries also are regularly the victim of the new reality, “Energy Poverty”. We need that imported here like we need a hole in the head.

Vasper85

I think Sleel that the choice will inevitably be taken from us. Fossil fuel is a wonderful source of energy, but all the easy stuff is mostly gone. Energy poverty will be a reality regardless.

Anti

Its no good answering Fran as she is a PMO plant, all froth and lies… just makes you realise the extent harpo has to lower himself to, just to try and divert attention..

Sleel

Yes, curious that their emissions went down, during a global depression that saw the closure of factories all over the continent as companies went bankrupt. While the Carbon Trading they did over there has been repeatedly shown to be as corrupt as anything in the Real Estate Bubble and Toxic Assets mess. And criminally infiltrated, while doing exactly nothing on it;s own to reduce bupkiss. Nope, economic collapse had nothing to do with it, totally unrelated. Same as Russia’s emissions went down when they went though their collapse, but are on the rise again as they are recovering. Imagine that.

Shadows777

The banks can claim their plunder of the world economy was a radical left wing conspiracy to reduce polution. I am surprised Fox hasn’t flamed on to this one

As you may be aware Canadian rights, freedoms and democracy are under attack and many groups are threatened.

In consultation with a lawyer we have worked on a petition to the Governor General, who is the guardian of the constitution and can dissolve Parliament as stated in the Letters Patent of 1947. Section “VI. And We do further authorize and empower Our Governor General to exercise all powers lawfully belonging to Us in respect of summoning, proroguing or dissolving the Parliament of Canada.”http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/LettersPatent.html

Remember, we do have a voice and can make a difference, especially when we unite; too many have died in wars, at work and in union struggles that we may enjoy what we have now, and we are slipping backwards. This paper petition is an excellent way to spread awareness and, if delivered with good timing, fanfare and media it might even be successful.

Please print this paper petition, sign & mail to address at the bottom of petition. Also post & share on facebook & twitter.

protested to GG on the Pro-Rogues & slimy, sneaky Omni-Bus bills which included both ‘pro’ & ‘con’ items (often ‘motherhood’) to trap those in opposition to vote against their ‘con’ & ‘pro’ positions – for later accusations. Very deceitful! … no reply from the GG. But what do you expect when the GG’s appointment was promoted by the PM!

elkfalls

while our GG seems like a “helluva nice guy”, you are right, he is a harper lackey…don’t know where else we, the canadian people, can go…appeals have been sent directly to the crown (i.e. queen elizabeth II) with only responses in the negative…somewhat like appeals from other countries prior to the outbreak of hostilities in europe in the late 1930′s…i hate to think of HRH as a “harper apologist” but it would seem that non-interference is making the crown thus…

Sleel

Yes, send appeals to the crown. Almost as if we aren’t an independent nation that can run it’s own business. Demand a return to colonialism. YOU CAN DO IT.

http://twitter.com/frackfreenb frackfreenb.ca

You mean just like when harper coerced the governer general to allow him to to prorogue parliament?

You don’t understand our parliamentary system.

a proud Canuk

And don’t forget how Mulroney had to go to the crown to pass the GST. We paid him back by throwing the PCs out at election time. This is how our government system works. It works both ways.

Seeking Truth

also mailed signed & hand-written (3 different photocopies, but highly customized as to party, status, & name) to EVERY BC SENATOR & MP to protest the closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station (successful & timely in Canada’s BUSIEST port – now run out of Dubai)). One Liberal replied, some Cons replied with the usual boilerplate reply. The assets of the station were sneaked away in the night, earlier than the closure date. That station was open 24/7 year round, the new, volunteer organization operates only May-September. Their ‘season’ has not even started & there have been at least 3 incidents (one seaman dying of a heart attack) which the new stations have proven NOT TIMELY. This station cost about $700,000/yr. $10 million to rent Pandas? … so much for the weight of such protests.

MeltingPermafrost

$10 million to rent Pandas so he can improve his relations with China. It was a strategic move for him to get close to passing FIPA (Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement).

Kate

Printed out some copies and will actively seek out signatures.

Jr

Thank you for this Raven. Any avenue to get this ..criminal out of office sooner than an election date years away.

Where do you truly believe the ..ahem.. Royal Governor General has his alliances? It’s definitely NOT first and foremost to the citizens of this country, but rather his buddy who got him the appointment in the first place.

I’m not saying GG is not a good man, or has not done good things. I am saying that, as any human being is prone to do, he’ll tend to back his friends.. especially ones that helped him achieve financial and political-ranking goals. Unless, of course, the guy (harper) goes totally nuts (which the populace would agree he’s reached, but maybe GG not on the same scaling?).

I agree 100 per cent. Harper is DESTROYING CANADA. And he has destroyed a formerly proud political party, changing it into something totally different. I will never vote Conservative or Progressive Conservative again.

RocknJD

One way to have him removed from office is to lobby all Conservatives MPs who do not represent the people that elected them. They all toe the party line. They have no backbone. All we need is to have a number cross the floor which will get Mr. Harper’s attention. If enough do so, Harper will not have a so-called first past the post majority government.

Seeking Truth

I’ve tried that from the first head-shaker … received only the usual boiler-plate manufactured answer … how supposedly intelligent & well educated MP can allow themselves to be dummied-down like that! … must be the glow of power … wearing off? reminds me of that UTube of a man, long rods attached to his hands & ankles – with several dummy figures similarly attached,, one in front & the rest behind … he did a wonderful performance routine with those dummies in perfect coordination (of course) Hilarious! But this present government’s routine isn’t! First pas the post has to go too.

ocanada

Thank you Nepeta, you have said exactly what I am thinking. How can we get him out of office early? And thank you, Elizabeth May, for being a courageous voice and keeping us aware.

susan

Once again I am disheartened and befuddled by the actions of the current government; instead of making all us Canadians proud of the part we play in contributing to the world’s well being, we are forced to bow our heads in shame. I guess this means the Canadian government won’t spearhead a world wide ban on line fishing and shark finning!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1476255607 Bodil Ruth Crowell

Two more years to move these destructive dinosaurs OUT of office. Just two more years….

Seeking Truth

no! NOW! perhaps this “Royal Bank & so many other corporations’ OUTSOURCING issue” that may be the catalyst for the change … but then, probably the Liberals are in it too, since the Goldman Sachs ‘graduate’ Mark Carney was advising their finance minister too, before he became head of the BOC. don’t take MY word for it, look it up yourselves.

Francien Verhoeven

And what will you do when the CPC begets an even larger majority than they have won so far!? Will you then still not believe that many Canadians in fact support Mr.Harper and the CPC because they have something of value for Canadians?

Heinz Mayr (PEI)

Not if i have something to do with it

http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Burman/677270143 David Burman

your Dear Leader is setting fire to his house, hoping to collect the insurance money, while he’s sitting in it and inviting you and your friends in for a marshmallow roast because it’s so nice and toasty inside. But it’s not just his house — it’s the home of all of us that’s burning. If Dear Leader wants to kill himself in his delusion I’m sorry for him. But he mustn’t be allowed to take the rest of us with him.

Francien Verhoeven

So, still no answer to my question then. How come? Why no answer to my question?

Rapson

Because there’s no point suffering fools.

Francien Verhoeven

And still no answer. Always the same posts showing another excuse for not wanting to address my questions.

Nikkohanken

Wrong… your’s is the answer that never changes… You make it sound like almost every Canadian can afford a trip to Mexico but you know what only a small percentage of them can. yet still when ever someone questions your fuhrer harper you blather about solar panels… so please do yourself a favour and stop repeating the same drivel over and over again…

Francien Verhoeven

You are wrong. Many Canadian families fly to various places when going on holidays. It is simply impossible to suggest that only ‘ a small percentage of them can’ because then there would be far fewer flights out of Canada. One person can only take up one airplane seat at a time.

Secondly, I know for certain that many Canadians who go fly when going on holidays spend money which could be used for putting up solar panels but they choose not to do so.

I wonder why that is. And you are avoiding to answer my question.

Vasper85

Lets do a comparison? How much is the average vacation vs a standard solar panel installation? As a renter, I know that buying a solar generator that can power a small house runs about 18K. Don’t think people blow that much on yearly vacations but I could be wrong.

Francien Verhoeven

Well, perhaps people who believe global warming is so serious that we need to take immediate action, could start placing a few solar panels on their roofs, some panels to produce enough energy to operate the airconditioners under come summer time.

An average holiday by plane would cost around $1000 to $2000 @ person per trip. For a family of 4, that would mean rougly $ 4,000 to $8,000 per year to invest in solar panels, instead of taking that family holiday. Three years without holidays would place enough solar panels on the roof to produce enough energy to run the household. Voila, it can be done if the will is there.

I am saying the will is lacking, because I see very few, if any, solar panels on roofs in any of the Canadian cities or towns. And I have been in a lot of Canadian cities over the past years.

Vasper85

Hi Francien I was reading a book called “PreFabulous and Almost off the Grid” By Sherri Koones. One of the houses that was built, about 2500 sq.ft. quoted the photovoltaic system as costing $52,000. So if we are talking getting off fossil fuels by going off the grid, by using your numbers we are looking at sacrificing between 6.5 and 13 years of vacations. Greens may see the necessity of this and have the discipline to do it, but certainly not the average conservative voter as they don’t see the necessity. You are correct in saying the will is lacking, only because there seems to be a diligient minority that works tirelessly spouting disinformation about climate change and peak oil.

Francien Verhoeven

Thank you for your post. That amount for installing the energy supply you mention seems high, but it could be possible that the cost is that high.

I don’t think that many Canadians will be so eager to install solar panels, whether they are Green voters or CPC voters. I think the political affiliation has nothing to do with solar panels perse, unless of course, some political parties and their supporters preach the need for solar panels as an urgency but then not practice what they preach. I question why there is a need to preach if the practice isn’t there by those who claim to be supporters of the said parties.

Vasper85

I think what your seeing is the true cost of energy. Fossil fuel is a wonderful storage of energy, but once it is gone, it is effectively gone for good. Keeping that in mind we have probably grossly undervalued fossil fuels, worse we based our entire society on a finite resource. Solar may be expensive thus not popular, but in the future when subsidies both artificial and natural are stripped away from fossil fuels the true costs will become apparent. Already you are seeing the oil industry drilling for hard to reach pockets deep under the sea, not to mention exploiting marginal deposits like tarsands

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Francien, please tell us what it is exactly that Harper “has” of value for Canadians. I’d really appreciate hearing that. Thank you.

Francien Verhoeven

The Harper government changed immigration rules so that no one can jump the line by claiming false refugee status, for one. The Harper government has introduced better immission standards for vehicles. The Harper government has withdrawn from Kyoto because that agreement had always been a bogus one. (need more, just let me know)

Paul Pennington

Francien and people like her are killing this country…if one can not see the hate and bigotry in her tone and words then they are blind….she is actually enjoying peeing off people, just like a typical right winged loiser…;.;so full of hatred……..so blind to the realities of the world…..it is theses people that when confronted with an arguement, deflect, avoid condensend and then get angry and violent when they loose thier arguments…… you could put a pile of peer reviewed journal articles on the table and they would push it aside claiming it all wrong (before reading) if it is thought to go against thier entrenched ideologies………fact, history, relentless proof, all useless to one who has already made up thier mind…………. where is an anarchist with a flaming cocktail when its needed……….

Francien Verhoeven

Here is a reality about Canada. When I look around in cities across this country, I don’t see solar panels on people’s roofs. Are you not a Green Party supporter? Do you not think we should stop global warming? How come most Green Party supporters don’t believe in solar energy? Journal articles tell all about how great solar energy is, yet the Green Party supporters seem to be so hypocritical about it all.

Why do you keep accusing others of deflecting when members of your party do nothing but! Or perhaps you are different; perhaps you will explain why there are very very few solar panels on people’s roofs.

BrianneHunt

please see what i wrote above

Francien Verhoeven

And see what I wrote above. Please.

http://www.facebook.com/reid.gilker Reid Gilker

It should be taken and relayed on a very serious note on this subject, that it isn’t Canada! who care’s nothing for climate action, nor for the fate of Africa. It is Stephen Harper and his band of racist thugs that are behind this decision to sneak out of the back door on this issue. Which goes hand in hand in under the same context where he has been treating peoples of a different skin tone in Canada with his ridiculous bullied threw parliament bills C-38, C-45 etc, laws and rules in an attempt to cripple and commit racial genocide within the Indian Nation of this country. Please extend our most sincere condolences to all of these people effected, and assure them that we will make it right, once we can rid ourselves of this embarrassment who has openly disgraced the position of being Prime Minister in the next election. Who by the way couldn’t have gotten away with half of what he did do, without the expressed consent and blessings of the Queen of England through her Canadian representative the governor general.

Seeking Truth

it’s not only Harper,,, it’s the GLOBALIZERS who have been pushing it for a very long time … look up ‘Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs’ & Goldman Sachs, The Bank That Rules The World … I would not have believed it without Harper’s shenanigans … He is their agent … it’s scarey!!!!!

Francien Verhoeven

You say: “Harper and his racist thugs” MY, oh my, aren’t you belonging to a group of angels……

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

Sarcasm Francien? Have you witnessed or even heard about what was done to our First Nations peoples?

Anti

unfortunately fran has only read what harpo has ever said.. so has NO idea of reality..

Sleel

Yes, curious that most of the time the Tribes have been oppressed it was before Harper was even elected as MP, much less PM. Guess it’s ok when the Liberals do it, since they are the ones who were in power the majority of Canada’s existence.

Curious also, that their Chiefs refuse to allow the Constitution to be enforced on reserves, thereby letting their pre-fuedal system of government to keep on keeping on. No right to own property for them, no right to take the abuses of their council to trial, no right to start their own businesses and employ people in their communities.

Curious that.

Sleel

LOL. Racist thugs. You are aware that there are more minorities and women sitting for the Conservatives then the other parties right? While the smug left likes to go on about the old white man’s club of the right, it more resembles the caucuses of the Liberals and NDP.

AO

Really? There’s minorities on the Conservative benches? Cuz honestly, they are a quiet bunch. Not saying much. Lowering their heads in disgrace that they are part of that party, agreeing with whatever Harpo told them to say, lest they lose their jobs and golden parachute pensions, no opinions allowed, no standing up for their constituents. Uh uh! That isn’t allowed. It’s like all those minorities are… slaves or something.

Julie Snider

Well imagine my surprise, when I read the other day that our own little Peter Kent is down in the US announcing that the Harper government will be giving a 10 million dollar contribution to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. Yep, it seems that the government thinks they’ll look responsible, and maybe score some brownie points if they wave a little money around. Of course they don’t want us to know that they dipped into the 1.2 B that was allotted to the Copenhagen accord.[Shh..don't tell]. The UN, nay the world knows what, they’ve done to our environmental laws. They know about the suppression of information, the erosion of our freedoms, the deceit, and coercion. What a pathetic attempt of deception, they’re clearly delusional..

Seeking Truth

not delusional, dear … it’s their AGENDA!

Sleel

If there was a hidden agenda, the legislation passed would reflect it. So, obviously, I missed the laws passed making gay marriage illegal, abortions, mandating the Lord’s Prayer in school, and all the other ‘sky is falling’ drivel the hysterics have been trying to pass off as reality since Harper was in Opposition.

Seeking Truth

it ain’t hidden in laws. You just have to do your research on the members of the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg gatherings, etc. to see where the influence for all this contempt for parliament has originated. Also research all the interviews with the courageous whistle-blower Shelley Ann Clark – as a 30+ year top-security cleared employee of Foreign Affairs, she has been fighting for the continuance of Canada as a sovereign nation. Unless, of course, you would promote the globalization homogenizing thing.

I agree with your contention that the World knows what is being done in the name of Canada. When will the sheeple of Canada understand it as well?…..or more realistically, when will they start to care?

SD

I just wish you took the charge to the previous Liberal government who had a horrible climate change record. Signing Kyoto and then allowing greenhouse gas emissions to skyrocket is really little different than the Harper agenda. It was all PR. And at least Harper didn’t gut healthcare funding like the Liberals did. But now you have no problem in helping them achieve government again… you must think a leopard can change it’s spots. Sad.

http://www.facebook.com/ron.vollans Ron Vollans

Troll alert!

SD

What I said is accurate. I respect May but think far too often she’s blinded by a total hatred of Harper and the Tory failed agenda. The Liberals campaign as progressives and environmentalists but failed miserably on many fronts. Even one of the top Liberal strategists said Kyoto was just to galvanize public opinion. In other words, it was a PR stunt. And greenhouse gases skyrocketed under the Liberals. So she should be careful when she becomes friendly with the Liberal Party since their record is worse than the Tories. Why should we be fooled by them again and again when they govern as bad as Tories especially on the climate change.

Seeking Truth

someone has named the Liberals as Tory 2 . seems they’re right! & all my extended family is of a very disappointed Liberal persuasion.

Actually, it is worse. What the Liberals did in that instance was deceitful. I see that Stephane Dion is still writing reports about anthropogenically induced climate change and still he does not acknowledge that such problems scale with the extent to which this planet is overpopulated by semi-intelligent primates. Perhaps it’s not deceit, perhaps just a lack of backbone?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004951685059 Richard Meaden

You are very critical of Prime Minister Harper for cancelling signed treaties with the UN: My question how come you said nothing when the Prime Minister tried to shut down the incite clinics because they contravened the UN treaty on illegal drugs. In fact when Minster of Health Tony Clement went to see about shutting down the incite clinic Libby Davies told him ‘not to poke your nose around here.’

http://www.facebook.com/rick.oudyk Rick Oudyk

Well written Elizabeth. Very interesting article last Saturday in The Globe&Mail about prairie grasslands and how the Harper government is devastating that program as well. Profit above all else, so sad. That sure does NOT signal what the majority of Canadians feel about our country. We truly would be the best in the world if we could only have leadership that represented Canadian values of fairness, equality, kindness for each other. Keep up the good work, hopefully we can get more Greens elected soon–we were so close in recent by-elections.

Francien Verhoeven

Spending 80% of a program on bureaucrats is to be considered fair?

RachelliC

cherry picking

TwoThirty

cherry picking? 80% of the money is going to bureaucracy and you are ok with that one little detail? Yikes.

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

TwoThirty and Francien are now tag-teaming!

exeng

Must be a slow day in the PMO

http://www.facebook.com/gretchen.schwarz.5 Gretchen Schwarz

How much does Harper spend on his own bureaucracy Francien?

pissed off

seems to me gretchen you must be part of harpers paid propaganda operation…….how much are they paying you ?

frothquaffer

2015 can’t come soon enough. When will rules be changed so non-resident Canadian citizens are allowed to vote?

Francien Verhoeven

non-resident Canadian citizens do not exist! Either you are a Canadian citizen and are allowed to vote even while living in another country, or you are not a Canadian citizen and you are not allowed to vote, even while living in Canada.

Time for you to look up a few facts before posting.

craigcantin

Think of it as an opportunity to educate Francien…all are welcome to contribute in a respectful fashion…

Francien Verhoeven

Yes, I understand. That’s why I point out that it is always wise to look up the facts before posting them. In this case, the facts that frothquaffer posted are wrong.

What’s your point? Canadian citizens living abroad can vote and none-Canadians living in Canada cannot vote.

frothquaffer

read the fine print: “have resided abroad for less than five consecutive years, or qualify for an exemption as described below” i don’t qualify for any of the exemptions as i don’t work for a fed/prov institution or international body that Canada is a member of, neither am i in the army. i’m just un canadien errant, pas vairment banni de ses foyers mes pas capable de trouver du travaille au Canada.

Francien Verhoeven

Ok, so there are a few like you who are Canadian but actually never live in Canada but still want to vote. My bad.

Don’t see why Canadians of Convenience who can’t be bothered to live here should have a say in how those of us that actually do live here go about our lives.

No skin in the game? No say.

frothquaffer

The majority of Canadians in Canada are either too jaded or can’t be bothered to vote. Those of us living outside the Great White North who are interested and want to be able to vote should not be disenfranchised because of our domicile. Last time i checked it wasn’t illegal to travel out of Canada for work or play. We’re not yet North Korea. These days, since the news of Harpy pulling out of the desertification accord has been made public, more and more people have been coming up to me and asking me, “What’s going on in Canada?” i can only shake my head and say that the majority of Canadians who did vote did not vote for the current government and that things will change in 2015. i also mention that i’m not allowed to vote. i believe my right to vote is being infringed. i’m quixotic enough to believe that my one vote could make a difference.

John Sollows

After May 2, 2011, nothing surprises me. I just hope enough voters get it by election day 2015.

Justin Trudeau’s comment last night to the effect that the Harperites were afraid of a informed, engaged electorate says it all.

David Wilson

it’s a quandary, because who would support an organization like the UN that keeps such a herd of bureaucrats so well fed and accomplishes sooooo vanishingly little? an organization that listens to Anjali Appadurai one year and applauds – and the next year refuses her credentials to attend? (instead of making her secretary general!)

I literally weep as I ask myself why she would want to attend? how could such a smart and beautiful young woman be so silly?

same goes for the k-k-Canadian government – we did our very VERY best and got you to Ottawa Elizabeth (and you know from my name that I am not jokin’) and so what?

we have just a few years to turn this thing around – some think we have already passed the point of no return but I don’t like the prospect of suicide and so I hold with such as Joeri Rogelj who think the window of opportunity has not yet entirely shut (see ‘Nature’ December 2012 ’2020 emissions levels required to limit warming to below 2°C’) – but I see no sign anywhere of the kinds of actions necessary to turn it around, Lester Brown is so right when he says that we could do it, his plan is a good one, but I notice that more and more often when he speaks he too is on the verge of tears

I am damned if I will give up Elizabeth, I won’t, it’s just not in me, but … I am so close that it probably doesn’t make much difference

I got your letter asking for support for Adam Olsen, I have it here in my hand – but I have nothing left to give, nadinha! I just spent my last $500 on a dental surgeon

lame eh? … “old men with broken teeth stranded without love”

be well.

Bruce Pinkney

I know all of you politions are sworn to the crown, so it’s no big surprise to see Canadian skies being poluted with chemtrails , with invasive contents to all life.. You’re discusting. All of you !

Sleel

Yup, has nothing to do with your car, the emissions from heating your house, the emissions from getting food produced and to your local grocery. The emission from mining the rare earths that went into your computer and producing the power to run it. Nope. You don’t consume anything, nor work anywhere that produces emissions. All made by the government.

How did you manage to post this in you self-made sod house in the bush while living on a subsistence, hunter-gather lifestyle?

Vasper85

Say, are you saying we are all part of the problem? If so when are we all going to be part of the solution?

http://www.facebook.com/linden.wiebe Lyndon Mark

Elizabeth May gives me hope! She is a beacon of insight, common sense, and critical thinking. Every single day I wake up and wonder what slimy thing our disgusting and vile prime minister will try to do next! WAKE UP, CANADA! This man is destroying everything we hold dear and if we as a people do not stand up and say NO to this miserable excuse for a leader, we will spend the next 50 years (or longer) trying to undo the damage he’s done!

George Malcolm

Well said ! I wonder when Canadians are going to wake up to how are country is being destroyed by this slimeball Harper….we can’t wait another 2 years!

http://twitter.com/RosewoodStudio Terry McNamee

I agree. Canada under Harper is losing everything its residents hold dear.

whirledgirl

I so agree. It will take a long time to reverse the damage Harper is doing. I can understand many of his economic policies, but the ones that harm the environment (and there are many) are appalling. Can we do damage control and get him out early?

Barb Phillips

Elizabeth, continue on in your stance against Harper and the Cons. Please help we Canadians that care about Canada now and the Canada that we want to leave to our grandchildren to stop this government’s destruction of what we hold special.

http://www.facebook.com/bobpisko RJ Pisko

Every breath that man takes is a blow to Canada.

greg zolad

it seems as if mr. harper and allies are pedaling as fast as they can to get us back to the 19th century. yikes! thanks yet again for all your good work. what is a body to do? what is the best way we can be law abiding and civil and work to stop this ?

Rough McHewn

What ever our plan is to be, it better be done before we are a complete Police State, what with new and greater repressive legislation sneaked through in “Omnibus” fashion.

At one’s own peril, search YouTube for “Police State Canada”. There will be several videos on the Toronto G8/G20 meeting of the Clowns: And yes, If you are going to waste a billion or so on security, you had better have your ‘boys’ burn a few police cars.

Now, while watching these, ask yourself what the internet surveillance legislation is really all about. Unlikely it is as Vic Toeves (?sp) peddles.

vesna

Be aware, but never, ever, ever despair : )

http://www.facebook.com/jo.unrau Jo Unrau

Harper cares nothing for Canada, Canadians, or anything else on the planet. He’s proven that by his total disregard & contempt for everyone. His only interest is himself & how much he can take us for.

Seeking Truth

no, he is an agent for the ‘one-worlders’

Karen

I was so encouraged when I saw Allan Savory on TED -”How to Green the Desert and Reverse Climate Change”, then I saw what Harper had done. Oh Canada!

Thank you for your perspective on the Harperites decision to leave the UNCCD. It has been foremost on my mind for sometime, as have the internal cuts: PFRA (could not believe a Canadian leader would consider such action!), and the experimental Lakes Area science gathering program. PFRA should be, if it isn’t already, named a UNESCO site. Thank you Elizabeth May. We need a Green Party on this and other destructive decisions taken by Harperites.

Sharon Moon

Thanks for your continued wise presence in such a negative environment. We have got to get this guy out of office!

Disappointed

We must get rid of this government. There is strong undercurrent of dictatorship here.

The Governor General, who is the guardian of the constitution and can dissolve Parliament as stated in the Letters Patent of 1947. Section “VI. And We do further authorize and empower Our Governor General to exercise all powers lawfully belonging to Us in respect of summoning, proroguing or dissolving the Parliament of Canada.”http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/LettersPatent.html

Remember, we do have a voice and can make a difference, especially when we unite; too many have died in wars, at work and in union struggles that we may enjoy what we have now, and we are slipping backwards. This paper petition is an excellent way to spread awareness and, if delivered with good timing, fanfare and media it might even be successful.

Please print this paper petition, sign & mail to address at the bottom of petition. Also post & share on facebook & twitter.

Going Rogue is a good way to put it. As in Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue. Mr Harper’s views on foreign treaties, aboriginal rights, political expediency, and the environment — as well as his inability to tell the truth — can all be found in there.

Helen Vakalopoulos

I agree with you Anita. This government needs to go! What a shame for Canada and Canadians.

http://www.facebook.com/joyce.hall4 Joyce Hall

Thanks, once again, Elizabeth for this timely update on the devastation our government is wreaking. We need always to remember that most of us did not vote for this government. 60% us voted against it. The elephant in the room in this heart-breaking tale is, as always, our first-pst-the-post electoral system.

http://twitter.com/JudithKto Judith Schutz

I find this incomprehensible. Why would the PM deliberately turn Canada into an international pariah?

Sleel

The better question is, why do we want to be a member of the International Pariah Club? Which is all the UN has become. I’m sure you feel your rights are so much better protected by the UN and their Iran and Syrian members on the Women’s Rights board.

Seeking Truth

to make it irrelevant, according to agenda of the GLOBALIZERS, his mentors.

MBC

This is a more thourough presentation than we heard from most media sources.

margsview

Rather curious that the 2013 Budget inserts on Page 144 and 145 covering the ‘Bail In’, where bank customers assets are referred to as ‘bank liabilities’ to be used to recapitalize our Canadian ‘Too Big Fail’ banks didn’t cause a public uproar. I personally see no difference between taxpayers or bank customers when it comes to arbitrarily applying their assets to irresponsible high risk and in some cases toxic bank dealings. It also seems that big businesses can find ways to relinquish responsibility for losses. Comments please.

Troubled Too

it ain’t curious! it’s the AGENDA! Do some research on “Goldman Sachs The Bank That Runs The World” & then research Dr. Mark Carney, our brilliant Canadian!

Heather Erickson

Mr. Harper has to be ousted. He has destroyed our international reputation and is in the process of removing everything good about this country.

troubled

Harper and co. refuse to try to understand the suffering of the african countries affected by climate change. That is pure racism, structural and planned racism. We’ve seen similar repulsion by this government of anything to do with the african condition. Canada is being governed by a stupid ideology that saves pennies and wastes the bucks; does the F-35 blunder give any indication? but then what do we expect from people who’ve been raised sheltered from the reality of every day living.

Troubled Too

No, he doesn’t need to try because he has THE GLOBALIZATION AGENDA of making countries & states irrelevant & that is his government’s reality. Unfortunately that is a powerful movement, world-wide.

Sleel

Sitting here wondering how taking care of the sovereign nations of Africa, while you simultaneously set your hair on fire about our debt/deficit, has suddenly become our responsibility. Ours, a nation of under 40 million, is supposed to subsidize the world.

Renee.

I’m all for measures to eradicate drought and desertification everywhere including Africa’s barren soil. Is there a way to reverse this decision?

davidg

Support electoral reform: Elizabeth May and Joyce Murray’s plan. Put pressure on Trudeau and Mulcair to ensure that no more majoritarian governments have such free hands.

Rapson

Nathan Cullen (NDP) is also on board. These 3 leaders should be talking regularly to advance the plan.

Jon Lutjen

I admit Kyoto didn’t do anything but it was the step in the right direction and moving away from it is wrong direction I believe, as useless as it seemed. The reason it went nowhere is there are to many middle men on all consumers deals soaking up the good life and fortunes in the world and when they realized it would cut there throats everybody steered away from the Kyoto targets. Why does a worker in Indonesia burn to death so we can have a cheap product in Walmart? Because the middle man cut the safety measures in a factory there to improve his profit. You see the people that control the worlds market forced the great idea of kyoto on to the back burner. Kyoto led the horse to water but could not make it drink. So it does not matter what protocall we follow, if the money lusters of the world don’t cooperate it will go no where. And futhermore the money lusters are not coming up a nickle short no matter what the future holds. It is to bad we can’t breath or eat money they we would have a use for it in the future. The future is coming weather we plan for it or not and I am with Elizabeth, Harper’s policies are like a kick in the guts. And if you disagree your just another “Money Lusting Middle Man” of this world living of the sweat of your enslaved decifels not ever having to lift a finger or break a sweat to earn your daily bread……….~:o{i>

Sleel

So, accomplishing nothing while costing billions is a step in the right direction. While stopping pissing money into the wind is a step in the wrong direction. And you wonder why we have high taxes brought to you by governments and the bureaucrats that live up to this ideal for generations.

Heaven save us from this kind of fiscal management. We will join Greece an the rest of the PIGS in a generation, or less.

nancyincanada

Who do we call??? What do we do?? I am so tired of exclaiming “OH MY GOD” yet again. Non-confidence may be the only answer. The NDP and Liberals will never co-operate, and the Greens lack the strength needed. Elizabeth must feel like David up against Goliath. How can we see she has the stones she needs?

http://www.facebook.com/judy.harper.313 Judy Harper

Two things bother me about this – 1) that it was done more or less behind our backs and leaked to the press (typical Harper disdain for Canadians) and, 2) that it was justified as a cost saving measure. Given the utterly incomprehensible expenditures the Harper regime has indulged in recently (the Cons spent $8 million last year combing non profits in the search for political dissidents, for example), it’s hard to believe Harper would even offer that as an excuse.

Must be a dissident

Combing not-for-profit organizations for dissidents?! To the tune of $8M?! Exactly how is the behaviour of such a dissident defined – one who supports the belief we should try to make the world a better place – socially and environmentally?! More likely in this context it is one who believes in democratic difference of thought and is willing to stand up for making things right – not ‘right’. As reported on the national news last night, it is exactly what Putin has been doing of late in Russia – quagmiring suspect groups with tax audits. It is paranoia carried to extreme levels, surely symptomatic of meglomania, defined thusly by Wikipedia… Megalomania is a psychopathological disorder characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. ‘Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs’.[1] . Taken together with an overdeveloped capacity for grudge holding, and our Great Leader’s continued actions which align with his undeviating, evolving belief system become most recognizable. This is an enormously egregious way for a Canadian leader to behave – it is simply not democratic. I think we should follow Mike Bray’s advise and read Democratizing the Constitution and find a way to restore Canada – strong and free!

Seeking Truth

& have you seen where the Librarians & Archivists have to sign some sort of a ‘loyalty to gov’t’ type of document, regarding their off-time discussions to other organizations???? … horrors of snapping books & flapping documents chasing the spinning government politicians through the sacred halls of parliament.

Grandmother on the prairie

If we don’t get rid of Harper and his ilk peacefully a.s.a.p. then one day soon someone will lose all self control and shoot him plus maybe some of his cronies. That will be the end of our reputation as a generally quiet, reasonable people.

Sleel

Ahh yes, There is the cuddly, “progressive” mindset of the left. We don’t agree with you. If you don’t get out by “define time” we will kill you. AND YOU MADE US DO IT. So who on the left am I allowed to kill under a similar rule? Manitoba’s NDP are busy bankrupting us and taxing us into oblivion, guess I am justified an calling out for Shellinger’s assassination then.

po’d canadian

Please folks, ignore the idiot verhoeven (doesn’t deserve a capital) and it will go away and then true constructive dialogue can take place. It only likes to incite reaction and without it it will whither and die, and frankly, that can’t come soon enough.

craigcantin

Again, please do not attack an individual on this site. Thank you.

Mike Bray

Once again, the root of the problem is that we do not have written rules limiting the powers of the prime minister. Other Parliamentary democracies have written rules, backward Canada only has useless unwritten conventions that Harper- as well as Trudeau and Chretien- thumbed their noses at. Until we get these written rules, we are open to governance by the ideology and whims of one person. That is not good government and poor decisions are made. I really wish more people would read the award winning Democratizing the Constitution. It has some excellent solutions that will restore responsible government and back us away from this creeping fascism.

Seeking Truth

correction: whims of the powerful & wealthy lobbies!

Sleel

Yes, So backward. Such a pestilent hole of depravity that people the world over clamour to get here. Let me get my immigration papers in order, I so want to move to any of the real pestholes of the world that obviously have created societies so superior their people aren’t leaving to move here.

onewhoknows

Elizabeth, there is a deeper, darker, more united agenda to all this — Harper is only a smug little YES guy re it — and until we wake up and smell the coffee on THAT extremely dark and united NWO level, they will continue, increasing, in increments, to use our own innocence and goodness and belief in the best in people, as a club to beat us down with. ‘The more we do to you, the less you believe we are doing it.’ Mengele. Thank you for ALL you do! xxb

Seeking Truth

Right on! look up what Joseph Goebbels (sp?) said about propaganda, lies & truth being the enemy of the state – always to be kept from the citizenry. SPIN???

Seeking Truth

correction: …’propaganda & lies’ PERIOD ..Truth being the enemy of the State – always to be kept from the citizens.

http://www.facebook.com/carole.reed.524 Carole Reed

Outrageous. Two more years of this and our environment will be destroyed, along with our International reputation.

Susanne Bradfield

Elizabeth, why not present the Harper government with $300,000 raised from the grassroots?! Tell Harper we got 60,000 families to donate $5 each because they believe Canada should be standing by its U.N. commitment and our world neighbours facing drought and desertification. Tell Harper we want representation from our country!

Cause they already get millions from the grassroots? Kinda how they get their money, since the Liberals made it illegal for a single person to donate more then 5 grand. And made it illegal for corporations and unions to donate to parties. They already mastered the micro financing source of funding. They were getting Kickstarted before it existed.

BTW, relying on corporate and union donations, and not citizen donations, kinda why the NDP and Liberals have no money to speak of. Tho I understand the NDP getting better at it. Liberals, still bankrupt, cause there were the actual corporate whores you guys like to call the conservatives. And still haven’t figured out how to get donations from the avg citizen. Course, they would actually have to come up with a platform and agenda beyond “get back as the natural governing party”.

Wanna make political funding truly grassroots, revoke tax funded subsideis to parties per vote. If you can’t get people who “support” you to donate to the cause they claim to support, you don’t deserve to force everyone else to.

No subsidies for ANYONE, Corporations OR Parties. If people want your product, they will buy it. If people support you, they will donate to you. Otherwise, your just arrogant in your presumptions to speak for them.

I know I donate to the charities I support.

And give money to the parties I think deserve my support, and none of them do. So none of them get ANY of my money, except what they force me to pay them by legislation. Pretty clear demonstration of the support they have if they have to force you to by law.

End of rant. Free association provoked this. ;]

Chris Rose

Is it not about time that the Governor General step-in and ask Mr. Harper to resign from the positin of Prime Minister of Canada????????????

Jr

now that’s laughable. who do you think appointed the GG for the Queen’s approval?

The notion that climate change is due to greenhouse gases, is not happening. The sun, our star [Sol] drives climate on this planet. CO2 follows climate change, not the other way around. Tax-payers money is being used to drive an agenda. The polluters are not cleaning up their pollution. They are saying “we” the tax-payer, are responsible, etc. The science of greenhouse gases and climate change, is a fraud. One that is used to gain grant money, for whatever project is proposed. As long as the “study” uses those magic words, the coffers are generally opened. A fraud to keep the development of other countries and the well-being of their inhabitants, down.

The political “Conservatives” bely the word conservative. They are masonic tools of the bankers, looking to maintain their status quo of world domination through a one party, one state marxist agenda. Marx was a freemason too. Violence and threats of violence will not work. As much evil is being done, toward the ordinary tax-payer. We need to focus on truth and peaceful ways of changing the world. For violence always begets more violence. By shunning the warlords and their hate. We can change the world for the better.

There has not been a prime minister of Canada yet, who is not a member of that secret cabal. Used by the most powerful families in the world. They control, most especially, the entity known as United Nations and all of it’s associated programes. So, even if I agree the government under Harper is both irresponsible and destructive. BTW Desertification, is not really a cause of climate change. It is farming methods a lack of proper organic use and husbandry. See Uwe George, In the Deserts of this World. The use of United Nations, the IMF, etc. Is doing much more, to destroy communities and countries. While it seems a good thing to have a global pact. When the U.N. is controlled by just a few powerful countries and their attendant Central Bank ownership. We really cannot trust them to do the right thing. No matter how much “spin” is put upon the idea that this organization is “good” for us. It is just the way the NWO seeks to impose it’s will, on the nations of this world. Just as corrupt and self-serving as the IMF and the banking interests of those powerful families. Who would see the world’s population in economic chains of servitude.

David Icke

Ignorance of science and conspiracy theory are a distraction from the important issues under discussion.

There are likely reptiles around with their hands in the pie, right Dave?

Fiddis

Typically the sun is what drives the climate changes of our planet, and one of the ways this happens is through the slow, gradual release of Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from wildfires, volcanic eruptions and other naturally occurring events. This process takes thousands of years. What we see today is not slow and steady change, it is rapid in geological terms, and we have caused it. Please do not give weight to climate change deniers. The website you’ve linked (wattsupwiththat.com) twice references the daily mail, a second rate tabloid, in the first paragraph, and his references to other more reliable sources like the guardian are not taking the actual article into account, but only the sensational headlines. To your other point about desertification, no it is not necessarily caused by global warming, but it does contribute to it as it leads to less carbon sequestration by plantlife, and the release of gases previously sequestered in those areas.

I don’t, can’t, disagree with a word you wrote. You are absolutely correct with every thing you said. It’s nice to think that there actually people out there that know and understand what is happening to the World today and how our society is being duped and manipulated. Well done Sir.

hirundine

Thanks, right or wrong? It’s what seems to be happening, to me. Much more, beside, of course. Like the banking scandals of Cyprus, etc. The way Iceland has dealt with the fraud and how can a currency that is only paper, plastic and ink, help us the people? In Canada the Conservatives have introduced, through the last budget, a similar legislation to rob bank accounts like Cyprus. …. Cheers!

Seeking Truth

one just has to look up the Goldman Sachs’ ‘graduates’, attendees of the Trilateral Commission & Bilderbergers’ get-togethers & track their subsequent actions. It is no ‘theory’. But it seems that over the many, many years’ of existence, natural or coincidental crises have come to the rescue of such outrageous population control hope. Plate tectonics & volcanic actions seem to be on the rise around the globe!

Vasper85

Ah ye olde “it’s the Sun, stupid!” argument. Look up any debunking of “The Great Global Warming Swindle”. They conveniently leave of the most recent data of where sun activity and temperature diverges.

Randy Hoffner

Harper makes me sick.. For the first time in my life I am ashamed to be a Canadian

Anti

if Harper’s lips are moving its a lie !! 290,00 trying to save taxpayers money…. really… so why spend BILLIONS on jets and warmongering gear we cannot afford?? so much for economics, he cannot even get his sums right let alone run a country FOR the people… Harper is running up masses of debt to pay his buddies and bosses the ‘Corporation’ and that is why he wnats to get rid of our sovriegnty and blend in with the Corrupted States of Amerika to be exploited for our resources and flood our job marlet with Chinese workers at a third the price just to make it cheaper labour worldwide, The top lot are working on a wage of a third less in ALL countries, just look at Europe and the how its being done there.. IMF.WB.ECB all need to be banned as they are ALL private Banks killing countries for their own greed…

Sleel

Why spend money on the military? Because maybe that is what you do when you are an independent nation. Unless you want to go back to being a colony relying on someone else for defense. Russia constantly probes the Arctic, and not just recently, since they had the capability to do so. China claims it has a right to it, without even being an Arctic nation. When conflicts start, it’s a bit late to remedy a lack of military capability. Never mind most of our equipment is obsolete crap from 30 years ago and more.

Every Nation in the world is occupied by a standing army. Theirs, or someone else’s. I’d prefer to be occupied by ours. AND not rely on another country for our defense. Kinda hard to claim independence when relying on outsiders to defend you. Guess you’d rather we rely on the States for protection. If that’s the case, may as well make it official and petition for Statehood.

Vasper85

You’ve got a point. Ran Priur made a similar point. In the face of aggression you have three choices, fight, submit, or flee.

Tom

That a government that represents only 40% of the Canadian electorate can bring us all into such disrepute is appalling.

Jr

that’s 40% of the 40% that voted. makes the numbers even more ludicrous when looked at that way. How can so many sit so quiet?

Seeking Truth

they’re too tired to become educated citizens – trying to balance both parents working (sometimes at several jobs) trying to brings up energetic children & running a busy households. Things are so bad & it is too time consuming to look into the over-arching issues (that one person cannot change) that it is too easy to bury our heads in the sand & focus on just getting through the day in one piece. These politicians are counting on that!

Unfortunately that’s the way our system works…..first past the Post, or something like that…..not the best perhaps, but it is what we have to work with. And the Green Party? What percentage does it represent?

Sleel

Interesting. I noticed that no one decries the Separatist government of Quebec with even less of the popular support as being illegitimate. Nor do they chose to acknowledge when they say %60 of Canadians voted against the Conservatives, that by the same logic, it can be said that %80 voted against the Liberals, or %70+ voted against the NDP, or that well over %90 voted against the Greens.

Specious argument is specious, and if you aren’t going to declare Quebec’s government even more illegitimate by your fallacious logic, hypocritical. And every other government, federal and provincial that the left elects. Not many of them got over 50

Vasper85

I have no problem declaring any first past the post elected party illegimate.

Fran Christie

Thank-you Elizabeth for all the work you are doing . You are much appreciated and thank-you for getting the message out there. Ralph Goodale knows what goes on in rural Canada . Ritz says”there will never be drought in Canada again due to different farming practices . ” Is he totally retarded?? The PFRA tree program has played a phenomenal role in stopping erosion in our area and there is no way that farmers could have paid for all those trees. Keep speaking for us. Just read some of Francien’s comments . Do you actually live in Canada ? What are you watching ? if we give Harper another majority we will lose universal Health care . Are you willing to go there with him too? He destroyed the CWB because he didn’t like it and we weren’t allowed to have our vote recognized . Some democracy he has going . it is sad what he is doing to Canada and I am thankful for Idle No More Because maybe it will get more people participating in democracy

AO

This Francien has no real questions, and no other answers, but only buffers and mimics. Sounds like a parrot… perhaps one on Harpers shoulders… or on their benches.

Green sustainable energy is the future and really the only economic direction we should be going. Digging up million year old, dirty, polluting, poisoning goo makes no sense.

Make me the Prime Minister and I’ll turn all our O&G workers into geo-thermal well diggers. I mean, they can’t enjoy inhaling all those toxic fumes, when they could be basically digging for hot water!

I’ll renew our environmental practices, reinstate and unmuzzle our scientists, make health care and education a priority, make Omni-bus legislation and interest rates illegal, reduce politician and anyone in elected positions pay to what an average Canadian earns, collect a retainer from oil and gas companies to the tune of $1,000,000,000 each to be held by the Canadian Government on behalf of the people of Canada in the event of an oil spill. And seeing as they seem to happen every year around here…

I’ll see to it that every new home that gets built gets solar/wind, or geothermal power as standard and reward those that produce more than they consume, and charge high-end fees for those that just don’t care how much they are consuming.

I will rid our nation of personal income taxes for those making under $100,000/year and axe the GST in favour of a more realistic fee based tax for unnecessary items. I think people used to call them sin taxes. It’s about time we let the people who can afford to buy stupid useless things, pay for those things.

I’ll develop a Canadian owned electric car company and make sure to subsidize it with the ‘stupid items’ tax.

I have way more things I could do to greatly improve this country and our way of life and be able to bring them to the rest of the world.

Janet Bacon

sending (hugs) Elizabeth… hang in there for us, please.

Jr

For the last two years I’ve watched (and participated in) the events that have surrounded the BC HST debacle, and from that.. all the events that Comrade Harper has perpetuated under his “changing Canada” policy.

The problem is, the Feds *Harper* have gutted environment protection, Tree Farms, Water Conservation issues (part in parcel of drought/desertification issues) , Scientific findings (muzzled) and an increase in Fracking (LNG, which UNELECTED LIEberal Christy Clark is totally on board for.. In her words “let’s get fracking”) and mining for Plutonium, Coal, and the ever-sought “Black Gold” Oil (that creates more problems than it nullifies) that will require dams (site C – Peace River) and lots of fresh water/energy and that will leave legacy’s of tailing-ponds, destroyed environments and sections of land reduced to unusable for growing food or graze for cattle, for generations yet to come.

All the things that Harper is implementing actually takes us back to pre-industrialization times that will see the skies black with soot and waters brackish and undrinkable while people labor in deep pits for a pittance (if they’re even from this country as Harper has his unlimited labor agreements with China – see visiting pandas as proof).

We desperately need more MP’s like May in government, more ‘balances and checks’ that see things “DEBATED” before enacted by this communistic government known as Harper’s Cult.

If you’re for Harper, you’re for the destruction of monitoring and balances, suppression of information and the eventual sellout of Canada to the Asian continent. And, I guarantee you this, once the Chinese “masters” get their claws into our governance and resources (and our laws with protections governing their “profit”), it’s game over for Canada.

I’m surprised there isn’t a bigger outcry south of the border as what affects us affects them ultimately (we are an intimate country border). I guess they’re dealing with their own issues.. but again.. I’m surprised that more people (read: people able to make policy changes and exert political pressure on Harper) from outside Canada aren’t saying .. or doing, anything to bring self-bloated Harper to heel.

What’s the plan May? What do we do now?

I think that’s the biggest problem. We have what it takes to oust the usurper Harper.. but how do we mobilize people into concerted efforts that will have us acting in unison instead of millions of angry voices just being blogged on the internet.. with no action forthcoming.

We need an action plan, and soon.

Where is the official Opposition in all this???

Sleel

Ahh yes. Oil cause more problems then it nullifies. Like replacing clear cutting trees as a fuel source for cooking, heating and light. Like replacing the lung diseases people in undeveloped countries develop from using oil, and dung, as a fuel source. Like heating people’s homes so they don’t freeze in the winter, or cooling their homes in hot areas. Or preserving their food with refrigeration so less of it spoils (you think lots is lost now).

Yup. Clear cutting forests is surely the better option for all those developing countries.

Hopeful

Thanks so much for keeping on top of these issues which don’t get the attention they deserve in the press. One more example of why we have to get out and vote against the Conservatives.

Sleel

Ahh, yes. Always voting against something. Is it perhaps because you have nothing of substance to vote FOR?

Vasper85

Me, I’d vote for the fundamental basics that everyone needs to live, clean air, clean water, clean food. That is something of substance.

Liz

I hate what Harper is doing, but please remember that we appreciate whatever you do manage to get done in such a hostile environment.

margie korrison

I feel we have a dictator in our midsts. This is terrifying. How can Harper get away with these actions? Where are the safety mechanisms? Why don’t the muzzled party members risk losing their jobs; speak up for us to save this country.

Seeking Truth

also attempts have been made on their lives. no kidding! someday the truth will out!

Chris Trendell

Thank you Elizabeth, The last time I traveled abroad I did not identfiy myself as a Canadian. We had been booed at the Copenhagen gathering when Canada broke our promice. I never thought I would do that. In the next federal election I will vote for ANY party that will get Harper out. In the meantime I will send you some money. When Harper changed the letterhead from “The Government Of Canada” to The Harper Government” I was upset. But after some thought I came to the conclusion that he had it right. It isn’t my government any more it is the Harper government.

To be sure Harper as been a disappointment….totally not the person that I voted for. That said, and unfortunately, he is the only viable person to lead the Country….Mulcair, May, Trudeau…..not on a bet.

toby dent

Impeach the PM that is destroying the very fabric of this great country…and throw him into jail. He’s no good. Regrettable doesn’t begin to describe the harm he’s doing. Thank-you Elizabeth for communicating the details…so important to know.

Sleel

Afraid you have to acquaint yourself with Canadian laws. Impeachment is an American one. Not being a lefty == destroying any fabric. Saying anyone who doesn’t agree with you? IS. Course, I’ve noticed the left is pretty damn good at not giving a damn about anyone’s right to thought, expression of same, unless it parrots theirs. Living up to the oldie, but goodie; “I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” is definitely NOT in their fabric.

Meaningless mouthings aside

Elyott

Is it time to get my Guy Fawkes mask and large barrels of gunpowder? just joking but unless you wanted to? no but seriously just joking, wait do you want to? no no no just joking. Keep up the good work Elizabeth you are one of the few politicians that give me hope. You are proving that any individual has the power to make change. I don’t understand our current government, how can you deny and muzzle climate scientist in this day and age and think your going to get away with it. I would go to the end of the earth to save this world for my future children and the children of people I have never met, why does it seem as if Stephen Harper is doing it for the check he receives from the oil companies. We must stop the ROBOT before it is too late.

http://twitter.com/MarieLloyd18 Marie Lloyd

Not fun having a psychopath at the helm of my country.

Rod Hebner

Well, it appears glow sticks and a fake lake and attempted cut backs to the military have not been enough to put some reality into Flaherty’s deficit paying strategy although the idiots that went ahead with the G8 & G20 Summit spending spree were appointed by the same dictator for doing his bidding. Any fool can govern by deficit spending but then the same fool doesn’t care about Canada or the average tax payer as he sees no problem increasing the Senate budget while Finley hires people to investigate EI recipients for fraud. Perhaps Mr Harper should look to the Senate or Mr Penashue as fraud comes in many forms and these are but a few of the many cases in which the Conservative Party has been found guilty of fraud.

Sleel

The leftists parties you support demanded the deficit spending during the recession. He should of told them to pound sand, but you can’t demand something and then bitch about it when you get it.

James B. Shepard

This move is perfectly comprehensible if you stop being mesmerized by the political conventionality that the so-called Tories are a normal Canadian political party. The Reform Party was a way for American Big Oil to cynically use the disaffection of Alberta farmers to destroy any possibility of there ever being a Canadian national energy policy. Harper’s constituency is the American super rich, Big Oil and Big Banking, who fill his war chest. They want to destroy Canadian sovereignty and our reputation abroad and reposition Canada as a mere minion of the US based global super rich. Harper is just the CEO of this effort. Parliamentary naivety, as ably represented by Justin Trudeau, is a vital component of their success. With the overweening power of the PMO it makes any PM a virtual dictator. MPs must get wise to this fact, at least behind the scenes, and break the power of party whips if the will of the Canadian people is ever again to be represented in Parliament

Well, if warming is all man made, explain the warming and cooling cycles of the Holloceine, Roman, and Medieval eras. Explain how the Arctic was once tropical beach front (plenty of fossils there of tropical plants) Explain to me how the planet has cycled repeatedly and endlessly from warm to cold to warm and back, and yet climate is somehow supposed to STOP changing, just for our convenience in our current temperate climate just for our convenience. Because WE SAY SO.

Climate Change is a redundant phrase. Climate has ALWAYS changed, static, it is not.

Vasper85

Wow Sleel, you really pack in those denier memes tightly into that statement.

Patti K

Thank you for always giving us the big picture Elizabeth and the reality of impact. I agree – we really need to find a way to hold an election – this stuff is getting very scary. No one recognizes who Canada is anymore, inside and outside of the country.

http://www.facebook.com/bernard.murphy.13 Bernard Murphy

we are at the beginning of a time in history when we must change the way we behave towards our environment. the weight of history says this change is foolish, climate change and being environmentally aware are for the ignorant and feeble minded. but i grew up in sarnia, ontario, during the ’60′s and ’70′s and many of us high school students were making noise regarding the air and water pollution of the petrochemical plants there. we were bullied, laughed at and treated as ignorant children. now we find there are many incidents of spills and other accidents where dangerous chemicals have spread into the local environments of the river and air…who knows how many people have suffered from all the spills and accidents that were never reported back in the day. let us begin to move on this with our hearts in the right place we will nurture the necessary changes over time. i congratulate ms may on her work to bring awareness to these areas of omission and bad stewardship of our planet. my country, canada, was once a strong voice in the international theater of environmental awareness and it is a real shame our current government is spending its money on fighter jet planes and rented pandas instead of taking our place as leaders in fostering peace and concern for our fellow world citizens.

http://www.facebook.com/shareeannegorman Sharee Anne Gorman

When will citizens around the world understand that the Green Party is not a bunch of out of touch hippies…it is the party of Common Sense! And by Common Sense, I mean survival…

http://www.facebook.com/shareeannegorman Sharee Anne Gorman

When will citizens around the world understand that the Green Party is not a bunch of out of touch hippies…it is the party of Common Sense! And by Common Sense, I mean survival…”The Tide” A Global Rising Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Rm9uX9sPA

MomTidd

The line, “What Harper has against hedgerows and water conservation in the Prairies is certainly a mystery that has angered many Prairie farmers.”, is so unintentionally ironic it’s laughable. Who is it that had the total area of voters in their provinces Conservative and one tiny little Liberal area? The Prairies. Maybe they should start letting go of the past and vote with integrity, not tradition. Harper has embarrassed our country with so many back door deals and copouts that it is so shameful. As I live in BC it is a double whammy with the Campbell Gov’t and their stooges stripping our beautiful country in the name of $$$$$.

D Vandeleur

BC Liberals are only Tory 2s, anyway

Samm Port

It saddens me deeply every time Mr. Harper shows his disrespect the the rest of the world (except, of course, China another great disrespecter of human beings and with whom he is great buddies). We must keep fighting to get rid of this devestating government and the sooner the better! Remember to Vote!!!!

A.M.

It seems that the Harper government is intent on destroying so much that is good .. why is that ?

Harper has got to go. I am very worried for the future of our once great country.

Marshall

Elizabeth, you never cease to inspire with your wisdom and commitment. Every time I read one of your articles I’m driven by inspiration to write another letter to my local newspaper about the destructive forces at work in Ottawa. I encourage all posters on this site to do the same. We need to take down this government with an unrelenting message to the public so that more heads are pulled out of more asses to be faced with the truth.

Tecumseh

How many ways can the Toxic Tories find to poison the environment and Canada’s reputation in the world?

Bob

Elizabeth: One of your below commentors had a great idea ‘Ask the Governer General to dissolve Parliament’. I have no idea how to do this but would certainly support an effort to do so. It is an excellent objective.

Seeking Truth

y letter to him fell on deaf ears! he of course was appointed on Harper’s suggestion.

Ron Kinch

Elizabeth May, Thank you for making all Canadians aware of this assault to democracy and so called public service. Thank you for being a voice to media which is controlled by photo ops and low on substance for debate and abuses of power. Be encouraged your voice and passion will not go unnoticed.

Light Wiz

Elizabeth; you are such an enlightened soul; you give credit when due and articulate facts so well. There is no doubt Harper Conservatives want to eliminate knowledge and fact based science; their actions speak to that; however, we appreciate Elizabeth’s light in the sea of darkness now running Ottawa.

We simply cannot go on with “business as usual,” and now is the time to transition to clean energy innovation and jobs. This means the Canadian government should be transferring the subsidies from fossil fuels to clean energy programs.

For a well-informed layman’s short course on how best to address global warming, see the excellent PowerPoint presentations by award-winning scientist, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Eric Grimsrud, at http://ericgrimsrud.com/short-course_281.html

Sleel

Yup. Set your hair on fire. And yet, there has been no warming in 16 years as shown by British ACTUAL meteorological records, not models massaged to meet prediction. Models that can’t predict next weeks weather yet are supposed to be reliable for 1 and 200 years from now. While ignoring the cyclical nature of climate in the first place.

Elizabeth Block

My favourite environmental cartoon (New Yorker, 1987) is an Expulsion from Eden. There’s Adam and Eve leaving the garden; the finger of an angry God in the sky; and two angels in the clouds, one saying to the other, “Frankly, I think we’ll regret introducing these organisms into the environment.”

Geoff Chislett

When this government sees nothing wrong with using billions of litres of water in the tar sands oil extraction and ‘fracking’ for natural gas; being a signatory to a convention to fight drought…….perhaps even Harpo could not keep a straight face.

Sleel

I musta missed the announcement of our fracking. And it’s not tar sands, it’s oil. You don’t get oil from tar, it’s a byproduct of it’s refinement. You want to see tar, visit the La Brea Tar Pits. Oh, and the first tailing ponds? Already in their reclamation cycles with trees growing in them and animals moving back, Ready for next phases to increase diversity. Not like the oil that permeates the entire area wasn’t already contaminating the water. Kinda why it’s water tastes like it does. Better to leave massive naturally occurring oil spills in place rather then clean them up ad make use of them, right.

Fred

The Harper Conservatives MUST NOT be given power beyond 2015. I urge those concerned about Canada’s (mis)directions under this government to consider the Cooperate4Canada conference being planned for September 27-29, 2013 at Geneva Park just outside of Orillia. Your participation would be welcome.

snapgirl

If our citzenery in general was more engaged and our media did not feel bullied (the CBC no longer asks the hard questions since their funding has been threatened) these issues would be more likely to make it to the world of punditry which is sorely lacking in Canada. As a recently engaged, self admited political junkie I find it extremely challenging to easily access the necessary facts to be fully informed on the impacts on our political system – unlike the very available US pundits. We need more opportunities to speak, to hear and to be educated on our own political system – unable to find any discussion of the impact of Justin’s Liberal leadership win on our overall system immediately following the victory speech online (do not have cable) – just sayin/’

Sleel

Wait, what? Since when has the Canadian Brainwashing Corporation actually asked hard questions? They always been our Pravda.

Seeking Truth

too young to remember “This Hour Has 7 Days”?

David Gascoigne

The problem is that unless there can be some union of the centre/left we are going to reelect him again.

What is it about all of you, including Elizabeth May, that you can’t comprehend a simple fact. Harper is following fundamentalist evangelical bible prophecy -environmental destruction is a precursor to his Rapture and therefore welcomed. Just look at all his ideological decisions and unconditional support for Israel.

How come so few of you get it?

Seeking Truth

because some of us believe that as a trained economist he is enthralled by the cruel greed economics of Milton Friedman & the influence of the Goldman Sachs ‘star graduate’ Dr. Mark Carney. A little known fact is that the great economic guru, Adam Smith, held that a country’s society would not be balanced & happy, if its economic life, as described in his ‘…Wealth of Nations’ (his last book) were NOT mitigated by his ‘… Theory of Moral Sentiments’ (his first & considered ‘best’ book). Is our society balanced & happy??? …he may also be following the evangelical bible prophecies, you may be right…dont know about those things.

http://www.facebook.com/wayne.clark.338 Wayne Clark

I don’t know how but this monster Harper must go, where is the courts with the many election fraud cases, where is the Governor General, where is the Queen, will it take every Canadian in the street till Harper and company are gone and an election is called, if so I fear for Canada because the Canadian people are without a doubt the most passive or stupid population on the face of this planet.

Sleel

You don’t get to say we should get rid of the GG and the trappings of Empire one post, and two post later QQ about needing the Queen to overturn a democratic election. Either we are an independent nation that doesn’t need Imperial Handholding, or we are a Colony. Pick one.

Sandlakemeg

I am aghast! As someone said, is there any way to get Harper out early! We will be the pariah of the world if this keeps on. The vey core of our country and its values are being eroded at a phenomenal rate. A book about South Africa and it troubles during apartheid was called “Cry the Beloved Country”. I say for Canada too Cry,my beloved country!!

shadow4531

again, you are not positive as some claim you are .. you never see the other side just the opposition side, mainly your own .. as a taxpayer, I want to get bang for my bucks and when 70% plus is used for admin, then forget my wanting to donate .. it is time the rest of the world got in step and demanded more bang for their bucks, too .. then and only then would the money go where it needs to go to feed and clothe and educate and relieve drought/flood conditions and other needs .. admin costs should not eat up what people’s taxes and charitable donations intend the money to be used for .. so get on board with Harper in such and refuse to be part of something which wastes our money and does not have it help those in real need .. then and only then will money be properly spent instead of allowing all the wrong people to get it and others just going along with it .. again, I do not believe the Conservatives are always right but they are not always wrong either but again you paint them as wrong .. when have you ever recognised and supported the right they have done .. parliament is broken and it is not the fault entirely or wholly due to the Conservatives .. the Liberals, NDP, Green, and Bloc are as much, if not more to blame .. so get truly bipartisan and when you all get bipartisan and work together for the good of Canada and Canadians, things will get done and the world will follow suit ..

Seeking Truth

if you’re unhappy with the tax rate look up the origin & purpose for the Bank of Canada, how it worked until ‘monetarism’ was promoted in the 1970′s. Government debt ballooned after PM Mulroney promoted most government loans to be made through the private banks, the national debt had increased from $16 billion in 1965 to $547 billion in 1994, Statistics Canada reported that 92.3% of that represented INTEREST CHARGES TO PRIVATE BANKS! Since then the situation has hardly changed. A book to read about that is the late Walter Stewart’s “Bank Heist – How Our Financial Giants Are Costing You Money”, Harper Collins, 1997, particularly Table 8, p. 250. Still relevant. I’m tired of hearing “where’s the money going to come from” at infrastructure investment proposals. The debt would not be nearly as steep if Canada used the Bank of Canada for its original purpose in hard times.

Seeking Truth

further… shouldn’t we all be angry that our hard-earned money, paid in income tax, goes to service the interest on government loans from private banks? the proportion of gov’t debt secured through the B of C, as ordered when it was formed (up to 20%, now at 2% or so) would ensure that the debt would be manageable! … leaving more of that revenue to finance good services to canadians… don’t take MY word … research it yourselves! …(the banks are laughing all the way to their vaults!, yeah, yeah I realize that many pension funds, etc. make income from bank stocks, but my rant is still true)

http://www.facebook.com/wayne.clark.338 Wayne Clark

Seeking Truth I wrote the Governor General over a year ago and have never receive as much as F–k you back. The sad truth is our political system is an antiquated museum piece and needs a major overhaul without the Governor General and the Queen and all the other costly useless window dressing that all it gives Canadians is a false sense of security. Our political system is permanently broken and a major reboot is needed to bring Canada into the 21 century.

Sleel

I can agree with that. We don’t need window dressing left over from colonialism. We are an independent nation and don’t need pat on the head from the Queen or her rep for each law we pass. Nor do we need a bunch of appointed senators, not showing up most of the time, marking time while laughingly calling them selves statesmen offering sober second thoughts. We didn’t elect em, they represent no one but whoever was in office when they were appointed. We don’t need them at all. All we need is Parliament. Hell with the old Triple E Senate idea. Just abolish the pile of junk and their bloated entitlements.

http://www.facebook.com/kengearl Ken Earl

And unfortunately with Justine Trudeau now confimred Liberal leader, vote splitting will ensure another term for the Conservatives:-(

Gooah

In all the years I have been following politics in Canada, I have never seen a leader with such contempt for the people he purports to lead. What is his overall agenda? As a man who has hosted the secretive Bilderberg Conference in Ottawa, perhaps people should be looking at him in depth.

Seeking Truth

and the Trilateral Commission meetings. But most importantly, read the true & sad tale of the courageous insider (33 years security-cleared in Foreign Affairs) who blew the whistle on the FTA so-called ‘negotiations’. She has been denied, harassed, life-threatened, unsuccessfully driven towards a breakdown, you name it… ever since. BUT KEPT ON THE PAYROLL HOPEFULLY TO KEEP HER QUIET. her info is in ‘Shelley Ann Clark/NAFTA’ (should be only FTA) read it & pay attention! THAT FTA IS HIDDEN IN THE DIEFENBUNKER for 30 years & is tagged as a ‘security risk’ not to be made public – probably to hide the treason!…why o why don’t you stop this hand-wringing & demand we see the original & COMPLETE FTA???? because THAT IS HARPER’S AGENDA!

ocanada

I feel that Harper is destroying Canada and he is moving us from a democracy to an autocracy. It is hard to believe that at this point in his majority, how quickly he can bulldoze through major issues that affect every Canadian’s life and are so negatively impacting our country. Like the United States, I think we need to institute a limit on term of office to a maximum of 2 terms per Prime Minister and when our country is being changed so dramatically, as is the case with Harper, the people of Canada, through petition or vote, should have a way to remove that leader from office. How can Canadian citizens work with parliament to make changes to the structure of political office such as restricting term of office or recall for a leader who has his own agenda and no respect or concern for Canadian citizens?

Jean Richards-Carter

I am thoroughly sickened by this lack of being a responsible part of the world community. Does Mr. Harper not realize that what affects one, affects us all. i.e. if you are suffering, we too will suffer. We are one world.

linda

It is a mystery. I do not u/stand how Harper envisions Canada out of the global loop. It is a secret. Taxes are too high, inter-provincial trade is near to impossible. We are run by BP (big oil) and are remininding me of “flat earthers decrying being a one horse town”. It is ridiculous and in Alberta small/medium businesses are leaving. We will be left with the rich/overpaid oil-connected workers and service workers. No middle. Near to no consideration of the environment, cuts/cuts/cuts. A bloated health service group eating money for “expenses” as though it is FREE candy. Ms. Refraud anywhere else buy here, peddling BO. We need a diversified economy or there will just be the rich and the service workers. How is that so hard to realize?

And stop the press from deciding that there is a “third party Liberals” group. Is that not biased reporting and what is the purpose of the label? It is unconscionable

esereporting

Seeking Truth

not a mystery, Linda, if you research into the Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs info, also the Trilateral Commission members & how often they meet & in which countries!!!

Not only does the presenter show the enormous amount of arid and desert land on the planet – and its imminent growth, he explains that reclamation of this kind can greatly reverse the CO2 emissions that concern us so greatly, Grazing animals would have to be selected carefully in such an operation. He has spent years working to understand this process. I hope the world listens to him and can, with care, utilize his ideas..

I’m sad to see that one person on this comment section has reduced the sharing of information to ‘punch throwing’, I’m happy to slide past those areas and find quality comments are still there from people who are looking for a win win situation and sharing of information..

It is disheartening to see what was a stabilized country – the Canada we knew – a country that was moving along peaceably and mindfully. become something we don’t recognize. We were team players – the Harper administration has taken us away from that role. We now even ‘rent’ pandas! We are strictly business and our budget is far from balanced.

Sleel

Yes. Our budget is far from balanced. As demanded by the Liberals, NDP and other lefties during the recession. Stupidest thing the Conservatives did was agree to it in the first damn place. Every bit of it should be cut immediately. It wasn’t needed then, it isn’t now. All it did was expand the bureaucracy to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.

Jan

Thank you for keeping all Canadians posted on the shameful shennigans of the present Government. If we do not wake up soon and dump this lot, when we do open our eyes it will be too late and the Canada we knew and loved will be but a distant memory Concerned in Ontario

Bonnie Overland

Our reputation in the world is quite simply awful thanks to the Harper Conservative Government! But, this Government represents less than 40% of Canadians who elected these mean and nasty bullies into Parliament. Somehow, the other 60% of Canadians must stop the destruction of our reputation in the world, the destruction of our environment in our country and the world, , the destruction of our Democracy ( any one who criticizes is quickly removed and replaced with a Yes Person!), We are the Bullies in the World and I don’t like that feeling at all! Harper is destroying my Country that I love! I truly do not understand how anyone thinks this Government is doing a ‘good job’ as we crash and burn environmentally, financially, and globally,

Sleel

%80 voted against the Liberals, %70 against the NDP, over %90 voted against the Greens. That specious line of “logic” cuts both ways. Where is your hue and cry against the leftist provincial governments that didn’t get over %50? I know I heard no such specious arguments made on the Separatists in Quebec.

Or maybe people were voting for the parties they wanted. To bad yours didn’t get the biggest chunk. Bet you don’t mind when your does, bet you also don’t call them dictators when they do. q.q

Karel

corruption grows out of absolute power and Mr. Harper’s dictatorship style has been in play too long. He needs to be replaced as he is not serving his constituents honourably.

Barbara Dick

Thank you for explaining how this happened. I was dismayed when I first learned of Canada’s withdrawal, but now I’m horrified and mad that it was done in such a sneaky and back-door way! I lived in Lesotho, in southern Africa, ten years ago, and I couldn’t believe the lack of trees and the huge, gaping crevices everywhere, where nothing could grow. It’s not like erosion in Canada – it’s not a few rocks washed away on the side of a river. It’s large sections of farmers’ fields dried up and then washed away, leaving crevices that look like small canyons. And it’s desperate, uneducated people who cut down every little seedling for firewood. Shame on Canada!

Sleel

So, it’s Canada’s fault, short sighted uneducated people clear cut their trees. Cause we went there and held a gun to their heads forcing them to do it.

kay kennedy

To have Stephen Harper as the Prime Minister is to make one weep. We are no longer the ‘nice guys’ we think of ourselves as. Shame on us for electing him and his cronies.

Mandy Wilson

When are we going to wise up and elect someone who truly represents the best that Canada has to offer? It’s time for a real change in power.

cp

Thanks for your compilation of inexplicable, backward “head in the sand” decisions by the Harper government. (No pun intended). It literally sickens me. Unfortunately, I suspect that, by and large, the anti-environment/anti-global citizen decisions resonate well with a large sector of the Canadian electorate ….namely his core supporters.

belle400

Thanks for this. So is a result of his “Armaggedon” religious views or just that he is a lackey of the extractive global corporations and he is going to get a huge payoff once he is out of office if he isn’t already getting one? I no longer buy this is due to his “neo-con” ideology. Given what they spend our tax dollars on …

Angered in Ontario

Canadian rights, freedoms and democracy are under attack and many groups are threatened. I hope that somehow Harper can be stopped and ousted, this parliament can be dissolved and Canada resume it’s rightful democratic place.

Sleel

Ahh, yes. Having colonial relic of Imperial power dissolve Parliament is democratic. Nice definitions of that you have there.

http://twitter.com/VELehman Victoria Lehman

Better cold fury than tears.

Margaret Paul

I’m so sorry you have to witness this devastation when you care so deeply and try so hard to counteract the global and domestic brutality of Harper and his thugs in government. Harper must be stopped and the only way is to inform citizens about what is taking place behind their backs. Keep up the good work and don’t be discouraged. We need you.

dmj

harper govt is acting in accordance with agreements it signed onto with Global Business Partners “stakeholders” in agriculture/trade/security/food (RCC for compliance with ‘RegionalEconomicIntegration’ for US/CDN policies *APEC, etc) Canada cant be part of Kyoto, UNCCD because domestic policy now reformed to ‘align’ with US standards would violate terms of Canadian commitment to intl environmental regulations. more secrets and lies.

Seeking Truth

right on!

Roy Mills

harper leading a minority Government was marginally acceptable.As leader of a nominaly majority Government he is a dictatorial disaster for Canada and our reputation.

Jordy

Thank you Thank you for keeping us in the know as much as possible.I tooget very very disheartened when I see the very richness of what held ths country together being ripped asunder with one swipe.How can we call this a democracy anymore.It isn’t even a benevolent monarchy .

Marion Shearer

Thank you so much for the article and your continued drive to do good for all of us. When will people wake up and get rid of a politician who is not only selling our finite natural resources to foreign countries, but doesn’t care about protecting our arable land either, nor our commitment to the United Nations. All I can say is shame on the Conservatives. They should be renamed Deservatives – because voters get the government they deserve.

http://www.facebook.com/wendy.bays.90 Wendy Bays

Elizabeth, it appears there IS hope to stop dessertification. I’m attaching a link to a TED video titled, “What would the massacre of 40,000 elephants teach us?” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/30/grazing-livestock.aspx?e_cid=20130330_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130330 The scientist speaking started the idea that some conservation areas were dying due to too many elephants and, though he deeply loved elephants, he was instrumental in the country deciding to, and did, kill 40,000 elephants. He says now he will regret this action to his deathbed and devoted his life to coming up with the real answer to dessertification – and is proving his theory in many parts of the world with before and after pictures of results. His answer is relatively simple. This video is deeply sad, shocking and yet full of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Everyon, please watch!

Sleel

So. It’s our fault they killed 40k elephants and it is our responsibility to pay to fix their stupidity….. righhhht.

http://www.facebook.com/jean.robertson.587 Jean Robertson

Force some of the drug contaminated horse meat down his throat that he thinks is fine to ship to the EU for families to eat while they think it comes from wild horses.

Robert Semeniuk

Steven Harper’s narrow, shortsighted linear perspectives remind me of the Taliban I’ve met. Him and his cronies need to go the same way as the Taliban. He actions on so many fronts is disgusting. As a veteran journalist I can easily make a case for his draconian behavior encouraging terrorism.

Sleel

Yeah, cause an apology to Terrorist sponsoring states and a specious Peace Prize for Obama did wonders for curbing them.

Ottawan

Thank you for forwarding this appalling news. I am ashamed.

ROLAND – THE GIANT.

THE SOONER WE GET RID OF harper, THE BETTER!

http://www.facebook.com/lorene.benoit Lorene Benoit

Harper is a maniacal dictator, who is unfortunately, for the majority of Canadians, backed by money. How DO we get him out of office? Maybe we can all focus and meditate on him having a health crisis ???? A horrible thing to wish, but he is bringing these types of destructive wishes on himself by his very destruction of too many Canadian values, pride, resources, finances……

http://www.facebook.com/cjbrett Clare Brett

The lunatic fringe is now the mainstream. This world is increasingly terrifying!

http://www.facebook.com/pwad1 Peter Davison

This is a government of vandals.

http://www.facebook.com/rod.morley Rod Morley

Everyone is still treating this man as our P.M. His Party has broken election funding laws and now has charges of voter suppressionagainst them. He is our Prime Minister only if we let him. Get off your asses and take to the streets. If he is being seen as losing control of the Country, The international backers through Canadian corporations, we desert him like rats off a sinking ship. I consider him a criminal not my Prime Minister.

RFS

Canada deserves real leadership, and let’s hope those responsible never ever vote in this band of jackasses to lead us again! It’s well past time to throw these Neo-con clowns out!

David

The sheer number of things Harper et al has done is overwhelming. How do you fight back as a decent person when the conservatives are willing to use every dirty trick, bend every rule and law to the utmost limit, and yes, consciously lie? They don’t seem to have many limits. Nevertheless, I don’t intend to go quietly into that dark right and I don’t expect you will either. I respect you immensely. Thank you.

David J Parker

What can one do in the face of such contempt for the country and the world? It shows how weak and fragile our democracy really is when a party who obtained less that 40% of our votes can act like a dictator. If my memory serves me this is similar to how Hitler obtained absolute power during the Weimar Republic of the 1930′s.

George Malcolm

Harper and his gang of thugs are a disgrace and an embarrassment to all Canadians. My local MP spends his time holding “passport clinics”‘ of all things when anyone who is aware of whats happening to our country would be ashamed to be seen anywhere else….or perhaps we could pass ourselves off as Americans.

Mary Smith

I’ve read that the Yankees are smartening up and several of them are trying to get the paperwork going to impeach Obama. In so many ways Canadians seem to be more dozy and asleep

Sleel

Or maybe we operate under different laws. Maybe that.

colleen

my father warned me years ago, during Harper’s first campaign ,that he was the most dangerous man in Canada, and he is doing his utmost to prove that to be true. There will be no Canada left when he is done with us.An evil evil man.

http://www.facebook.com/meaghan.elliott.98 Meaghan Elliott

Okay. That’s it. We need to throw Harper out of office. This lame power trip he is going on is damaging our country. Come on people, democracy is based on who we choose to be a leader. We have the power to kick ANYONE out of office. That is the point. To pick a good leader. We need to start sending emails to the news and the government and tell them Harper doesn’t get to do whatever he wants. And we want him gone.

Gerry

Shame, shame, shame is all that Stephen Harper brings to Canada !!!

Joanne Hutchinson

Not only does it help the peoples of sub-saharan Africa To Combat Drought and Desertification it helps our whole globe. If we create more green and reduce desertification we are cooling the whole planet. We will be reducing the carbon into the atmosphere and producing more oxygen. Carbon creates heat, oxygen cools. When are all of our governments on this globe going to realize that and put money into our global future not just the now.

Pierrre

Thanks Ms. May for bringing this issue up. I had no idea that the Canadian Government is withdrawing from the United Nations Convention to Combat Drought and Desertification. Perhaps when the next election rolls around this will be another reason to not vote for the Conservative Party.

To others on this comment board, I will take a moment to point out something very real. Steven Harper is one of the most powerful officials on the planet. Being that he has a majority government, he controls everything! If he wants a bill passed, it get passed. If he wants to strike down a bill, it shall be so struck.

I do know, however, that Mr. Harper is a very intelligent man. He is well spoken and charismatic. I truly believe that he IS trying to make Canada a better place. The unfortunate thing is that he is doing so by making decisions that are hurting families, the scientific community, foreign policy, and perhaps most importantly, the Canadian Image.

I think that Ms. May is a breath of fresh air in the political landscape. I would like it if the Green party had better and more meaningful representation in the House. Can the Green party run the Government? Not yet, I don’t think… It will take several more elections with more and more candidates voted in, helping decision making, and learning, before this party is a true contender in Ottawa.

All that being said, I wish Ms. May all the best and keep up the good work.

Seeking Truth

You’re quite right, Pierre, in several points …but, he’s trying to make Canada a better place IN THE GLOBALIZATION (Trilateral Commission) SCENE!

http://www.facebook.com/wally.rowley Wally Rowley

I am ashamed NOW of what has happened to My Canada. I HAVE, (note the past tense), proudly flown the Canadian Flag during international and transcontinental travels. No longer can or will I do this! Mr. Harper’s “fiscally responsible” Canada continues to erode environmental concern, scientific credibility, academic freedom, national integrity, humanitarian commitment, and support for institutions (international and national) benefitting the less advantaged of this planet. We are a nation which has lost its way by tolerating ongoing attacks by our “leader” on our most basic, honourable and humane beliefs. Surely the resultant embarrassment at what our nation has become will prevent further blind and passive acceptance of this government’s actions. Perhaps $290 000 is eventually a small price to pay, if it finally exposes The Harper Government as the manipulative, mean and grasping caricature of a democratic government it has become.

Josef

Read this sort of thing carefully. Harper is dismantling Canada block by block. This must all be an orchestrated effort to bring us into greater and greater disfavour in the eyes of citizens and governments of other nations. The less relevant we are as a nation the less we will be missed when we are nothing more than a quaint memory. We have a traitor in our midst and there must be some law on the books to facilitate his removal. Someone please find it soon.

big mouth

We have this whole democratic thing backwards. We the people should be laying down what we want our guys to do then look for the guy who will do it.Elections should be every year and if the guy didnt do the job he is out. Simple.Now they are telling us what we want then not even doing it. We arent paying attention and if our addicted (to power) roommate is robbing us blind whose fault is it?? 39% voting….????

Sleel

Yes. cause having unending campaigns will sure have politicians planning beyond the next election. Will definitely encourage them to devote energy to long term planning.

Maybe if the various parties came out with platforms WORTH supporting, more people would vote. I know I have little intention of doing more then Officially Declining my ballot next time. Since as it stands, NONE of the parties have a platform worthy of MY vote. Telling me to vote for the LEAST WORST option is no longer good enough for me.

Vasper85

True, parties are beholden enough to the electoral cycle that to shrink the window that they have to do actual work until they have to worry about who they have to buy off for the next election. However that being said there must be a mechanism so if a politician lies, we can immediately hold them accountable.

D Vandeleur

CBC’s “Marketplace” often does that regarding ‘truth in advertising’ of many products … they tag an advertisment “BUSTED!” how can citizens apply the same tactic that would attract attention???

LM Martin

I am consistently disheartened by Canada’s showing in our global community. It’s as if our Prime Minister thinks we are immune to what is going on in the world and that we will never need the assistance of anyone, anywhere, anytime. I am profoundly sad and disappointed that the good reputation our country has had in the world is being thrown away in such an underhanded and cavalier way.

Venie

When will this government understand that, quite simply, what good for the goose IS good for the gander? Reversely, when you make decisions that negatively impact the greater world community, you will invariably do damage to yourself. Well done, Mr. Harper.

http://www.facebook.com/Bigbutshy63 Rob Morgan

Harper has no SHAME and He is a dictator forcing unsafe Bills throw the House with no opposition

davidwaugh@hotmail.ca

I sure am glad that we spent the million dollars on the Ottawa fly past at the end of combat operations in afghanistan before we wasted all that money on desertification. Does show that at least one Harperite knows how to read though, they would never have abandoned decertification. I’ve been studying the rise of the Nazi party in the thirties lately, the similarities are truly shocking. P.S. any word on the final solution to the first nations problem?

http://twitter.com/Haengus Jim Hennessy

Thank you Elizabeth. Don’t give up.

diannemaloney

Do you, Harper not care about your progeny, Greedy bastard

James Pott

I hardly ever agree with the Ottawa mandarins and the people who think they are in charge, however in this case I completely agree. The United Nations Convention is a lumbering monstrosity costing us all tons of money which is subsequently wasted in committees and sub-committees of study groups and workshops etc. accomplishing exactly nothing. The only people that do something and are making a difference are the people in the field who work with the native people re-introducing what they have lost and what has been taken away from them by the big kahuna’s, the mono culture idiots of the west. I suggest disbanding the whole of the United Nations which is nothing but a front for big business anyway. Please Elizabeth don’t send me anymore of this poorly researched and rather prejudiced opinion piece. Rather study what Allan Savory has accomplished already and take into account what professor Peter Ballerstedt is suggesting

inspiredmac

Regrettably, the only way the Harper government is going to be removed is under a 2-party system. Equally regrettable is that we don’t have a formal opposition being led by Ms. May. Remember, we live in a country where 39 percent is equivalent to a majority, and John Baird is considered a diplomat. Basically, we’re stuck with P.M. Stephen (PM for life) Harper for the foreseeable future.

Linda

love you and what you stand for.I wish there were many more people like you.Thank you for what you stand up and try to do…

Chatham resident

We have to get rid of Harper and his band of thieving puppets!

Byron

How much has this government spent on military history such as celebrating the war of 1812. Not to mention the cost of changing back to Royal Air Force, Royal Navy. They are truly mad. We really to not deserve such a government.

Bt

I only hope that NDP, Liberals, and Greens can get beyond their lust for power to restore some sanity to Ottawa.

esimons

I really am ashamed to admit to being a Canadian since Harper became prime minister

jane

Can’t we impeach that evil creep?

Manuel Erickson

It’s well-known that Canadians are slower to anger. Impeachment is a good idea, except that I don’t know if there is such a process. Does anyone know? Perhaps a popular uprising…? No, that won’t work: Canada has a history of squashing such things (e.g., the Winnipeg General Strike). It looks like the only thing we can do is wait until 2015. One thing is certain: calling him names has no effect. Looking at Elizabeth’s blogs, I don’t see her using names (except the PM’s legal one, of course).

Seeking Truth

dont forget to mention the G-8 ‘Fake Lake’ protest response!

Wm. R. McLeish

There will be an election coming up, even if it is a couple of years away, when we get the opportunity to dump and dump on this infamous government and it’s pathetic dictator. Enough already, get rid of the bas……d.

Seeking Truth

will be too late then — he vowed to change Canada forever before he left office.

WaterDragon

Who knows what Harpers agenda is, but its clear he has one. Its also clear he is not a team player and that he doesn’t care for Canadians earning under a certain amount of money. He also got into power by getting Peter Mckay to sell out the concervative party to the Alliance which was once the Reform under that crack pot Preston Manning. He also turned the Liberals surplus that we all sacrificed for to a depicit larger than any in Canadian history. I do believe in conspiracies but don’t believe that the purpatrators of them are bright enough to see tthe long term effects or even care so long as they benifit in the short term. Trouble is that Harper is just Canadas problem these guys are all over the world in many other countries.So to change this problem people must first look at themselves and how they impact the world ie smoking tabacoo, throughing litter out the window not picking up dog shit cheating their fellow man. These people are there because we all turn a blind eye and don’t get involved.

D Vandeleur

Old Saying: Ya never miss the water ’til the well runs dry!

http://www.facebook.com/ShirleyWilfong Shirley Wilfong Pritchard

Thank God for you Elizabeth. If you weren’t there, telling it like it is, I wouldn’t even know about this.

concerned Canadian

Harper and his Reformers crew are a dangerous lot of ultra-right ideologues who will not stop at anything to mold Canada in their (sadly misguided) preordained image. Let this be a lesson to Canadians, especially to those who at one time mistakenly believed Harper deserves a majority.

George Malcolm

It is almost laughable….Harper is running scared already with his cheap attack ads! Even he must realize Canadians see a breath of fresh air in sight ! He needs to be scared!

lynxenigma

Lake Chad in Saharan Africa used to be the size of Lake Superior has over the past 25 years , shrunk to nothing more that a pond, millions of Africans will die of thirst and nations turn into dust bowls without full scale help and assistance from countries like Canada.We are now the Scrooge of the Western world.

http://www.facebook.com/lperigoe Lillian Perigoe

Thanks, Elizabeth. So much for who we are and what we care about as Canadians.

bcd

so sorry I voted for him, I won’t make that mistake again!

Dietrich Pajonk

I remember the more recent version of the television series “The Outer Limits” in the “90s where methane breathing demonic reptilian aliens disguised themselves as humans and infiltrated the world’s governments and military at the highest levels. Their main goal was to take over the world, kill all the plants, animals, and humans and turn our nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere into a carbon/methane atmosphere (or something like that). I do not believe that Adolf Harper is human at all. I think he’s an alien form another planet that he and his pals managed to strip that world of all its resources and thus destroyed it. Now he’s bent on doing the same here. This man is a sick, psychopathic, and very dangerous man.

http://www.facebook.com/arlene.seegerts Arlene Seegerts

This is so horrific, but I believe that it is just part of a much larger threat. I suspect that some of the provisions in the Treaty would interfere with Harper’s agenda of PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE, especially as this relates to the ATHABASCA DEATH SANDS and the ENDLIFE PIPELINES needed to ship bitamen to refineries in the US, both of which have the potential to inflict non-reclaimable permanent damage to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we need to grow/gather food on – in order to ensure our collective survive, here on Mother Earth. In fact, not only will the ATHABASCA DEATH SANDS be worse than a desert, it will be so polluted that it’s only use will be as a WORLD NUCLEAR DUMPING GROUND, which Harper plans to extend right across N. Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Hudson’s Bay, in spite of the fact that we all know that THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO DISPOSE OF NUCLEAR WASTE. I read a quote that says that if we gathered all of the village idiots from across the world together and flew them over the DEATH SANDS – which is bigger than France, already, and asked them if they think there is significant damage, we know what their answers would all be. This doesn’t say much for Harper, now does it??? It is embarasing to be from a so-called nation, which is being SOLD-OUT by a CEO who is totally corrupted by GREED FOR POWER & WEALTH and has less wisdom than a village idiot, that’s for sure!?#@!!!!

Janskio

More judicious use of capitalization might make you sound a little less crazed, dear. Are you a Belieber?

Ian Rowberry

Maybe Elizabeth should end all future columns with a reminder not to feed the troll? Any serious discussion here just gets lost immediately. Very effective, but without some moderating, there’s little value in the comments section here, I’m afraid.

Laszlo

I would really love to see a whole crowd throw out their arms in the Hitler gesture and looking straight at him as he passes by for some public event. I realize he’s only a figure head but the sooner his asinine mentality is removed the better!

I want my country back!!!!!!!

Sally

The only way to cause this government to fall is to pester and harass the 13 conservative back benchers to vote with the other parties “co-operate:”. And it will be hard to persuade them to jump ship. They are all scared to death of Harper. Do you remember when harper convinced Michaele Jean to pro rogue parliament. She could have asked the opposition parties to form a government but she gave in to Harper. Now that he has a majority, we have to find enough MPs to jump from Harper’s ship.

Janskio

Democracy’s not exactly your thing, is it?

http://www.facebook.com/itsTGN Terry Neraasen

It is becoming increasingly hard to stay positive as we see more and more of the Harper agenda. Those who supported the Conservatives must surely see the enormity of their mistake. What to do? Where’s Mulcair? Where’s Trudeau. Where are the journalists? Do any of those folks give a damn? Thanks Elizabeth.

Seeking Truth

since Canada was formed there have been ‘Continentalists”, never giving up. Apparently Pierre Trudeau was one, & there are many. I think the politicians, journalists & others who are trying to stand up FOR Canada have been totally either bought off, or intimidated by the powerful great banks (see Goldman Sachs, The Bank that Rules the World)

Seeking Truth

also, I’ve read where Preston Manning, Bob Rae, the late Mitchell Sharp, Michael? Wilson, Mel Hurtig, (not to forget Brian Mulroney) & others were working behind the scenes to make sure of the break-up of Canada (Quebec) that would lead to great financial crises in the provinces, leading them to beg for an IMF bail-out,, the price being Canada (or the provinces) as the 51-54th states of the USA. don’t take my word…PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH ON THAT. then perhaps we can get back to supporting Elizabeth May in her heroic efforts!

Ann

I keep thinking that I can’t feel more ashamed of our country and then Mr. Harper proves me wrong. I don’t pray often, but I do pray that this government goes soon. I am eighty years old and I can’t believe that this is happening.

Big Jimmie

Certifiably mentally incompetent.

dismayed

I’m not all that surprised. I just finished reading Marci MDonald’s book, The Armageddon Factor. Evangelical Christians do not worry about the decimation of the earth as they await the Rapture that will take them to “heaven”.

Charles Eddis, Westmount QC

The Harper government has alienated me completely. I wonder if it is as pig-headed and indifferent to careful thought as I believe it to be. I am put off by it on many scores.

Charles Eddis, Westmount QC

Karen Grabinsky

This is ashamedly regretful for Canada’s withdrawal. I wish I were rich, where I as able to give $290,000, our federal government, Mr. Harper is neglecting. We need to resind this decision, and contribute to this cause. Luc Gnacadja, UN executive secretary for the Convention to Combat Desertificaion, is a very articulate, well educated man who speaks very convincingly of the need for this treaty.

Leah Scheelar, RN

People of Canada do not believe in Harper’s short-sightedness. Thank you for continuing to raise the alarm to these foolish actions. The resources so rich in this country that contribute to the abundance that is the very fabric of Canadian life; are well evidenced as health determinants that keep our people prosperous. For example, access to food, adequate income, education opportunities. We must never forget that the most important determinant will be a healthy and viable environment that makes all the others possible. Lack of concern or protection for this jewelled land of ours, will be destabilizing and threaten our security. Lack of cooperation, mutual research on climate change, drought, food security adversely affects our reputation within the global community also threatens the security of future generations of Canadians and promotes a global ethic of destabilization. Shame on you Harper, very un-Canadian.

Seeing Truth

you’re right about his effect on Canada & its place in the world. But his aim is towards the globalization into three basic powers – see the “Trilateral Commission” unfortunately, Canada’s future (as far as his long-sightedness goes) is in the United States of North America & later South America! He is their agent. that’s why I keep ragging-on about you people doing your research into ‘Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs’ & the Bilderbergers & Trilateral Commission members.

jay1200

i like what elizabeth says. harper is destructive, he is evil and can only think of his destructive buddies lobby groups. he has no foresight except that he wants to destroy canada. he has written this and says it all the time. the time is now to get him out of office and back to the backwoods where he belongs. a voter against hiom musst be strategic….something mulcair does not understand in his selfish thinking only for the ndp, not canada!

Seeking Truth

He has plenty of foresight! … that of globalization! where populations will be governed only by the IMF & law & order.

ghanderman

Aren’t all of these moves consistent with Canada’s love affair with a Chinese government that has absolutely no regard for environmental concerns or ethics or the rights of its own citizens (brutal social repression is china’s forte)? This is what happens when the love of things becomes the dominant operating social value. The native people from long ago used to say that only when all the land has been exhausted beyond repair will white people (Europeans) finally understand that you can’t eat money. Meaning that the greed ethic of the west will be the undoing of us all regardless of race, creed, nation or party. C’mon white people! You are the majority in this country. Where is your superior intellect, morality, ethics and society now? Hurry up and evolve, Canada and the world cannot sustain this level of apathy, materialism, greed, narcissism forever. You need to build bridges with the natives in your country because they have a framework already set up to promote workable environmentally-respectful systems that could benefit the world.

D Vandeleur

exactly!

Wendy

I appreciate and respect, the candor, knowledge, and passion ,of all who are contributing here. However, I think all this inside wrangling (not debating) and intellectual “one-upmanship” is no help to the woman who is out there on the front lines, representing, and speaking for, those of us who desire a sane, peaceful, safe, and practical world for all citizens of the world. History has proven that personal agendas among so-called “supporters” weakens any well-intentioned movement. We can’t help Elizabeth by arguing among ourselves; we can help her help us, by staying calm, finding common ground, and standing down from our individual soapboxes. Let’s help Elizabeth by finding common ground, supporting her in her personal, daily challenges to make a difference for us all.

Seeking Truth

hope youdont think the Goldman Sachs Trilateral Commission thing is just a personal soapbox!… a lot of this hand-wringing about the Harper gov’t can be answered if attention is paid to it!!! …nuff said! we have a great number of Canada-lovers to start doing something about it — let’s do it!

Dr. Gyula Csapó

I support any idea to get rid of Harper and his cronies FAST! What can I do? Educate those who would vote for him/them?!

Seeking Truth

the true references that I have been posting are almost impossible to believe, until you join up the dots. However, there are too many who agree with his AGENDA

Skookum1

the terms “thug” and “bully” combined with “state” seem to suit the Tories more…….”rogue” is more romantic, which they are not, as in “handsome rogue”, which Harper is DEFINITELY not. A loose cannon internatlonally, but here at home very decidedly a “bully state”

http://www.facebook.com/people/Eva-van-Loon/1261267855 Eva van Loon

There won’t be a recognizable Canada by the time we dump this Crime Minister.

Sue

Thank you Elizabeth, for giving a voice to those of us who have little other recourse. I have never joined a political party, but I’m about to join the Greens to try to keep the hope alive that someone, somehow will bring order to the House and stop the gutting of our environmental protection.

Don Duchene

Thanks to you Elizabeth May, once again, for holding Harper to account as he, once again, embarrasses Canada at the UN. This government that is willing to spend 35 billion dollars buying war planes saves 300,000$ by turning its back on millions of people who are and will be affected by droughts.

A Munshi

Thank you, Elizabeth May. I hope the next election will mark the end of low-brow politics.

Jenn

This makes me so sad. How can Harper be so cold

Scott Black

Just when I think I understand Harper and his oil-driven agenda, something like this happens. I know they are obsessed with eliminating the deficit (shouldn’t have reduced the GST guys, all would be well now) but this is such a small amount, and they seem to repeatedly fail to grasp the impact of decisions like this on Canada’s international reputation.

Seeking Truth

no, it’s the over=arching issues of a) globalization & b) the sneaky manipulation of Canada’s monetary system by the neo-liberal economists of the 1970s that is behind his relentless scouring-out of Canada’s institutions to ‘harmonize’ with the USA’s. Read up on it, & join up the dots.

Donna Crozier

Thank you, Elizabeth, for telling Canadians the truth and alerting us to possible future actions by this unconscionable (unconscious?)government. I’m finding it very difficult to remain positive and hopeful.

Wesley M. Stevens

Alliance-Reformers should be desertified, or is that decertified, Their local MPs.should be prorogued.

http://www.facebook.com/ian.stewart.54943 Ian Gordon Stewart

He told us, didn’t he, that we wouldn’t recognize Canada when he was done? Who knew he meant THE WHOLE WORLD wouldn’t recognize us!!

Seeking Truth

I did! as do many muzzled insiders. There must be enormous intimidation – politicians, lawyers, RCMP, unions, journalists – all who know.

Mavis

Another humiliation for Canadians courtesy of Mr. Harper? I can’t wait till this crew is gone and we can reverse all these terrible and shortsighted decisions about the environment made by the Conservatives.

Crawford Jenkins

I am appalled at the lack of thinking by the Harper gov’t for cutting funding to Agriculture research. Talk about short term gain for long term pain. Does Harper not understand that farmers of the world will be faced with doubling production to meet the needs of a growing population. All this from a land base that is being eaten up by roads and houses. A few years ago the Canada Land Inventory identified about half of the class one agricultural land – the best we have in Canada, was within sight of the CN tour in Toronto. Today a good portion of those highly productive soils are under concrete. Harper does not have soil and water management policies because he does not understand the issues , nor does he care. Harper claims that the Agricultural industry will rise to the cause. Probably so, but with a vested interest for which the farmers will pay dearly.

Seeking Truth

during FTA ‘negotiations’ the exec. assistant (with 30 years’ security clearance in Foreign Affairs) to the 3rd negotiator was required to make copies of each round for each premier. She was required to secretly (from EVERYONE) do it from midnight to about 4am . Her boss, required her to ‘cleanse the numbers to just above what the premiers would agree to, & OMIT ALL PARAGRAPHS RELATING TO AGRICULTURE, WATER & ENERGY! With so many red flags showing up in her mind, she desperately & unsuccessfully to be posted to another job. Read her sad tale for yourself – ‘Shelley Ann Clark/NAFTA including the ‘Liquid Lunch’ interview (the first one after the intro-banter). It’s a sad revelation for our sovereignty.

A VERY concerned citizan

This gov’t has caused Canada to become the closest thing to a dictatorship in the democratic world. And Canadians just keep taking it! We get what we vote for. To dethrone this gov’t we need to get people to see the long view for this coumtry and get them out to vote. We have become a passive nation that may not wake up unril it’s too late. Let’s not take our freedom for granted – because we can lose it – others have…

Barry

This frugality on the part of the PM would be admirable if it weren’t coming from a man who billed the taxpayer $5,000 for a haircut during the G8.

Turning our backs on the UN is more than regrettable, it is frightening, if only because there is no way to measure what has been prevented. Soldiers are covered in medals for winning battles, but diplomats are unsung for stopping them before they start.

brent1023

If John Baird is involved in the decision then you know Israel is somewhere in the picture.

Would this organization have recommended that Israel cede some of its control over water in the region? Would it suggest that Palestinians have a right to water now controlled by Israel?

Is Baird avoiding the problem of being the only country associated with the convention that would vote against such a resolution? By getting out, he avoids that problem?

Shabby I know to suggest such a thing. In my defense, this is a shabby government.

nosfartYOU

You talk about UN desertification conference like it’s a big godsend.

Actually ms. may, the reason Canada left it was because 1 of the 5 permanent members, our neighbor to the south, signed the monsanto protection agreement while their foreign affairs minister sat in the opening of the UNCCD. This is completely backwards and contradictory.

It’s called reading the news and connecting the dots!

dothemath51

This latest policy is despicable. It reveals a shocking scope and depth of Harperian paranoia that should be a wake up call to every Canadian regardless of party affiliation.

Fedup

Harper is one of the worst or is the worst Prime Minister we have ever had.The Conservative party is a lousy, arrogant overbearing political party, that think they are above everyone. We the people need to bring down the government but some how when the last election was held, he was able to persuade the people to give him a majority government and this is what we get, Canada taken down the tubes, our name tarnished forever, where once we could stand up and be proud now we have to hang our head’s in shame. Harper needsto be dethroned as his arrogance has made him think he is above everything and everyone. The Conservative party needs to be thrown to the wind and completely torn to shreds. The people of this great country have to stand up and shout ENOUGH.

Patty

Harper cares nothing for the earth that supports life, including his – or maybe he’s a demi-god, and above small cares such as clean air, water, food supply, etc. And when I say demi-god, I really mean Monster.

bc

I feel like Canada is the girlfriend who boyfriend, Harper, is isolating from her friends and family so that when he starts to insult and hit her, she has noone to turn to. We need our global community. We need the scrutiny of the world, and we need its help. We also ned the Pride and honour we get from being a PART of the world and of the solutions that help our fellow nations.

JLD

I’ve never been one to boast about this country, or thump my chest as a “proud citizen”, but I’ve always felt fortunate to be a Canadian. Sadly, I find myself increasingly angry at what is happening under the Conservative mandate, and increasingly ashamed to be living in a less caring, less generous, and less tolerant society.

Yes, we have gone from doing far too little to doing nothing at all. Desertification and destruction of fertile soils has been the bane of many civilizations — for thousands of years. So long as we chase ever increasing growth of human population, the problem is inevitable. Technological/scientific fixes can only provide a temporary reprieve, at best. The Liberals, the Conservatives, and NDP all worship a false god, as I explain elsewhere:http://users.eastlink.ca/~bxs/GDP.html But does the Green Party do better?

I AM GREEN!

I AM GREEN! A visiting French archbishop remarked, et voilà you are civilized in Canada.

Janskio

Thanks for the warning. Hide the children!

Marcia

Thanks Elizabeth, for your cogent and dedicated description of these challenges and the devastation being created by our current prime minister.

AD

Maybe the government is seeing that there has been no warming of the climate for the past 17/18 years contrary to all the predictions of scientific experts of increasing temperatures and drought. Maybe they can see now that this may well be a huge hoax and in fact the global climate may be entering or is already in a cooling phase. Maybe the fact that March has been acknowledged as one of the coldest March ever has some influence. Maybe there’s no reason to expect droughts any more than there may be to expect floods. Maybe there is nothing that anyone can do to “fight climate change” and achieve anything other than waste billions of $, as climate change is a completely natural occurrence and has always been so.

Mary Groh

I feel the same way about this decision as Elizabeth May, and am glad she is speaking out clearly against it. We are blessed with so much good in Canada, and we owe it to the people much worse off to help them with our money, time and expertise.

http://twitter.com/carbonous carbonous

Devastating. I am sad for those affected by the bombing in Boston, but the impacts of decisions like this, including famine, drought and less breathable air, stand to harm far more individuals and families.

I have protested, signed petitions, written letters, donated to advocacy organizations and campaigned for electoral reform. I wish I could do something to help us turn the course Canada is steering.

Thank you for being there, showing up, raising this and other important issues, for caring about social and environmental justice and for not giving up. We need you, expecially now.

Jill Doherty

Thank you, Elizabeth, for expressing the pain which so many Canadians feel over the government’s decision to pull out of another global responsibility. I am ashamed and deeply saddened. Jill Doherty

fredrich

I really have to second your concern Nepeta….How much more of this can we take……stuff like this makes me so depressed that I cant paint and etc. ……..and i am sure that that is exactly the point ….paralysis sets in and we get walked on by those monsters

Cathie Mitchell

I find this very disturbing. It seems that the Harper government doesn’t care on bit about climate change. This program has been very successful so far and is such a simple, inexpensive, but valuable program. For some reason there is a war on science with this government. . .”don’t let the facts get in the way” attitude. It’s all about the economy, it’s ok to rape and plunder as long as some jobs might be available.. This is so short-sighted and sets a grim future for our future generations. Thank you for your lone fight for the cause.

mary1606

You must live in another Canada because the one I am in is lucky to have Harper and the Conservatives. They are the best team for Canada right now. Check out the Liberals and the Gomery Inquiry and the many liberal laws they’ve passed and the repercussions today. Check out the NDP and Sharia Law in Brampton. No one is perfect. We’ve got the best Leader and Government for Canada right now. You all seem to be unaware of what else is going on behind the scenes here and all over the world. Look at the terrorist act at the Boston Marathon and others all over the world. These terrorists and the groups that back them are dangerous and crazy and huge in number. They want to take over the world, including Canada. Find out who they are and who supports them. These crazy people are in Canada too. Part of their multi level plan is to support discontent and create chaos for the people and government of whatever country they live in. For a better understanding of some of the things going on, watch the Internet documentaries “Obsession, The Third Jihad, Iranium”. You will see there are lots of good people within any group that want reformation and who want to stop the bad elements of their society, thus you see the turmoil in the Middle East. And terrorists and extremists are only a small part of the problems today. Be part of the solution, not the problem. You need knowledge. There are other huge groups, with their own hidden agenda all over the world. Some of these groups are hidden from us but they have the power and money to shape the world. There is crime of all kinds and corruption and greed. We still have worldwide slavery, poverty, starvation and we have enough resources to prevent this. This is the human condition and there is nothing new under the sun. It is what it is and in fact, it’s up to all of us to fix it, not just Harper, but he is on the right track. There is hope for the world, but we have to start at home, here in Canada and Harper is doing his job. Check out “Thrive, The Shift Movie, and The Cure Is You” for starters. Who are the people behind these documentaries and movements? We are all in this together. Do your homework. Our incredibly beautiful world is in a mess if you look under the covers, but there is hope and brilliant and hopeful things occurring everywhere. Harper is doing a fabulous job for Canada and trying to make us strong and independent. We are role models and people all over the world what to live here. Harper doesn’t do things for show like some of the heads of other parties and the heads of other countries. He quietly does the best for Canada. He is not making the environment worse. That is just political rubbish. It was worse when he came into the office. He is a very good man with the best of intentions for all of us. The wheels to destroy our environment, worldwide were put in motion before any of us were born. Greed and ignorance is to blame and it’s a universal trait of mankind. It’s what some humans do. Step back and look at the big picture. Along with the absolutely beyond belief miracle of our individual birth, is our amazing body that becomes more and more of astonishment. Did you know that our heart is the first cell to form in the womb and no one knows what makes that tiny speck start beating? Did you know our heart has a brain? Check out te new science Heartmath and the Biology of Perception. There is more going on out there, than just politics but it impacts politics. Include mass thinking and mass consciousness. What groups or forces try to create mass negativity and ultimately depression? They are out there too and they are the enemy. Look at their agenda of hopelessness. We Canadians are for the most part, hopeful people, at this time and space. We are living in one of the best countries in the world. We elected Harper and The Conservatives as a majority government in Canada. There is a reason. We sense we can trust him to do the best for us and the world and he is dealing with some pretty big, bad issues. Harper knows what you don’t know. He has made huge changes to repair the damage and he continues to clean up the mess he was faced with when he got into office. He is protecting Canada and Canadians, and he continues to help the world. If he does not agree with the UN, he is not alone. The UN and WHO have their own hidden agenda and if you understood it, you wouldn’t like some of it either. Your view of the world has been too small to see what Harper and The Conservatives see. He is on the right track and he has had to prioritize. His list is a mile long and some things may seem #1 to you and me, but he has the big picture. He knows what needs to be done in the right order and there are only 24 hours a day. He is on it. Trust him, and notice what the other parties are doing. They seem to act without care or concern for Canada a lot of the time, actually making Canada weaker, They do it in the name of self preservation, not the preservation of Canada and Canadians, Instead of working together with whoever was elected by the people, for the people they create delays and waste tons of money. It’s our system, and this is one of the weaknesses. We elected the Conservatives and Harper for a reason. Find out why. The other parties are relentlessly, damagingly, insidiously trying to bring down Canada by not supporting the party we all elected. Who created this system anyway? Oh, yeah, we did. Let Harper do his job. Before flying off the handle, get the big picture and when the next election comes, make sure you know what is going on all over the world, the big picture of governments, terrorists, corporate greed, capitalism, global warming, extinction of species, crime, drugs, the harm from GMOs and the fluoridation fraud, chemicals in our food, water shortages, mercury in vaccines and deaths from hospital bugs and so on and on. Select a leader who understands the world and Canada’s place in it. How did they behave when they were not in power? Then consider the big picture in a different way.Look at us, the humans who run the world. We are not perfect. We are all born the same way, we live a short life, we die and in-between we have the opportunity to do good or not and the same thing is happening to trillions of other people, now and in the past, who impact us, who in some way are connected to us. Some of us make horrible, horrible mistakes like gang raping a girl at 16 and she commits suicide and this destroys the life of everyone involved. Then there are people who save lives and inspire people to do their best for humanity like Mother Theresa. It’s a choice, but what leads up to the bad things? If they could do it over, would they do it differently?How did the circumstances for these terrible things arise? Who unknowingly or knowingly permitted and supported it? Did they have any idea of what they were doing? Look at the damage we do through seeing only part of the big picture and the long term impacts of our actions. For example, although the world is condemning Catholics, there are really only a small percent of priests involved in molestation. It is a hideous, life impacting horrible crime, but in fact the same percent of sexually sick men AND women exist in all areas of society and religions as far back in recorded history as you can go. What should the punishment be? Do people change? How did they get like that? Do we treat their mental illness, forgive and forget? And some religions support men marrying children. And there are still slaves. There is a lot to think about here. What are the implications? Where do you stand and why? All the major issues we face are just as complicated. Then, go back in history and look at genocide. It’s everywhere in every race, religion and country and gender. In fact the Catholic Church regardless of what happens in the Vatican does more to help the world than any other country, organization anywhere at any time. And I am not Catholic. Check it out. There are so many impacts to the big picture. Is there really a free source of energy that has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? What would be the impact of free energy? Are there aliens the knowledge of which has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? Check out the documentary Sirius. The entire world would be impacted if we no longer used gas and oil. Jobs would change. Money would change hands. How many jobs depend on products for automobiles? Cars and trucks would change. Trillions of dollars and untold impacts. There is more going on than you know. Connect the dots. Did you know that the doctor who first realized the washing hands would save countless lives was disbelieved and disgraced by all other doctors? He died in a mental hospital and millions more lives were lost. Eventually, what he said was reviewed, believed and understood. Now we all wash our hands to prevent the spread of germs, yet undercover investigators found that there are people working in hospitals today that don’t wash their hands. Understand the priority of necessary change and what happens if we don’t investigate the big picture. Ponder known science. Why does our world, our sun, our universe, the galaxies stay balanced without chaos and annihilation? I know what scientists think, but really, they are still learning every day just like we all are at every age and level of society, at least in a free society. What will be the impacts of what we learn tomorrow on our decisions today? Nothing is perfect. Therefore, we have to find the best out there overall to lead us today. We have a great leader and we elected him and we gave him a majority. Help him to do his job in his strong, quiet, courageous way. He is up against a lot. It’s complicated. Support him and do your homework so you know why whatever he does is for your own good and the good of Canada and ultimately Canada has as duty to the world and it is not always what it seems to be. When the next election comes, make an informed decision and vote for a good, wise, understanding, well balanced, logical, intelligent, well informed leader and team. No human is perfect. But this is the way our great country works. We were formed and our roots are Judeo-Christian morals and values from which came our laws, great freedom and quality of life compared to other countries, equality, human rights and more, the envy of the world and the freedom to continually improve. We have a government, and a leader and a delegation of positions throughout systems in place all over our Nation and linking us to the world, all the way down to every business and organization in Canada and within families. It works for better or for worse depending on the people involved. Harper and the Conservatives are my choice for the top position, right now in our time and space, for all of the foregoing reasons. The majority of Canadians agree. There must be a good reason for this.

D Vandeleur

“Oh, say can you seeeeee, by the dawn’s early liiiiiight??? how so prooudly we hailed , from the twilight’s last gleeeeaaaming? whose broad stripes & bright staaaars? ……enough! this is taking up too much space. Elizabeth May, your brilliant persistence is so energizing. There are so many attacks (most, distractions) that you MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!

MAC PROCTOR

Hello Elisabeth,

I think Harper is correct in getting away from the Drought Science. There is absolutely nothing anyone can do about the weather. It is going to do what it wants to do regardless of any Science group. Why should Canada spend money on drought prevention when it not possible to make it change.

Anyone that believes that humans can make any changes in the worldly climate changes needs to read up on it. It’s not possible !

All that we can do is help feed the starving.

Mac Proctor, Sidney, BC

http://www.facebook.com/jane.mcculloch.37 Jane McCulloch

I am sick and tired of Harper and his arrogance. He has done nothing for Canada except to destroy it bit by bit in his search of money and power. I really would like him and his cronies kicked out of government one way or another. There must be some way of ridding Canada of such a destructive being.

Fran Manary

So now, under the Harper government, sub-Saharan Africa is too suffer further. It was due to his direction, our packed Conservative senate helped defeat Canada’s Access to Medicine Regime; a Bill that would have sent vital anti-retroviral drugs to Africa to help in the fight towards HIV/Aids. Harper is fully prepared to be co operative with China in order “to go along to get along” and at the same time prepared to let the peoples of Africa experience more pain and suffering!

Janskio

Are you sending your money, your drugs or yourself to Africa? Isn’t that enough? If not, maybe you could get your friends to help? Suffering in Africa isn’t just Harper’s fault. Sounds like you’re coming up a bit short on a pet cause, that others shouldn’t be forced to support.

fayza

I no longer recognize my country. what happened to our moral character or leadership on issues that benefit the whole of humanity.

Brian

I am always astounded that people think so differently than I when it comes to the good of all. How does Harper get elected? His indifference and and arrogance to the average Canadian is very hard to comprehend ! People that vote for him and Flaherty must like pain and suffering !

Brian

BJWylie

My late husband was a pathological Conservative, but if he were alive today he’d roll over in his grave. Than you for what you are doing, but what can we do? I’ll start by sending you money. Where do I sign on?

gobstopper

Ah, I think I know why H. is doing this now. He is going to Thatchers funeral and wants to seem as decisive as her.

reeni p

Dear Elizabeth, Your commentary is so precise and eloquent. I am so grateful that you speak out for so many people in this country, not just your riding.

Mr Harper is behaving like a tornado – rarely any warning, no predictable path, unbelievably, unexplainably destructive and having no soul, has no empathy.

He exhibits a behaviour of denial that verges on madness. I wonder how much of what he choses to do comes from a belief that he does not ever have to be responsible to Mother Earth because he will be rewarded somewhere else.

I too come close to tears seeing what is being done without reason or consent to our country.

Please know that so many stand behind you even if they support other parties too.

reeni p

Dave Kennedy

Minister Baird says, “we are not going along to get along”– isn’t that just what the Cons. have been doing when they take on a Panda from China– i.e going along to get along?

Patrick

Maybe we need all other parties to join together to defeat the Harper government. His government has taken us to far in an undesireable direction.

paul Almond, O.C.

Liz where woul we be without you?

I hope against hope we’ll get more green party you in the next parliament.

Chris

Wow. Thanks for passing this along. Hard to feel much pride when the Maple Leaf is raised. Regardless of who gets into office in 2015, I think we need electoral reform and make ‘majority’ governments (especially when representing 24% of eligible voters and 39% of the popular vote) a thing of the past. I’d rather our country see progress slowed by democracy versus brashly imposed by a government.

Clea Derwent

I suspect Harper, Baird & Co of an Attitude that we used to call in post-war Britain “I’m alright, Jack”. ie. we smug, well-off and water rich Canadians are just fine thankyou; why should we care? Can I keep up my fervent hope that this doesn’t represent the attitude of majority of Canadians?

Once-Proud Cdn-Ray

Our Parliamentary Democracy Has been converted to the status of a “Theatrical Democratic Stage-show” with Harper as the only live player in the role Papa-Baby-Doc Prime-Minister while his Bobble-Head-Doll Caucus nod in vigorous assent in search of a few crumbs from the PMO

Lindi Smith, Canadian Citizen

Harper has always had a personal agenda…he is an egoistic ‘dicktator” bound and determined to sink this country with all of us in it. He needs to be reprimanded and ousted…YESTERDAY !!

Alison Blackburn

We need to start a process of impeachment! It would also be good to start a class action suit or legal process against the Conservative Party for false advertizng regarding the “Action Plan Canada” adds that lead no where and represent nothing. What about the waste of funds on that?

The Conservative Party’s behaviour and actions are truly despicable. I love this country and I love the people of this country. We deserve better and we can do better.

We need laws put into place to keep our country from being high-jacked by any party or party member. All of the omnibus bills should be struck down in their entiritiy and the Conservative Party given the bill to fix what they in their greed, and ignorance have broken. Time to pay the piper.

Cynthia Kemerer

this is the most mean spirited government that we have ever had. They must go before we are destroyed.11

Katherine

Yes it’s an outrage. I believe the Harper gov’t spends more on it’s advertising (economic action plan). I despair. What I hate even more than the contempt is the deceit.

Katherine

I recommend the TED talk on desertification by Allan Savory. It’s insightful and hopeful.

J.A Pelter

I am becoming increasingly puzzled and concerned with the courses our Federal government is taking us.Have we no right to expect at the minimum, a full explanation in parliament as to why such action is being taken, and what is proposed to take its Place?

Dee

How much more can we take of this guy!!!! Never in all my voting years have I loathed such a P.M. I have travelled a lot his year and you should hear the comments about this fool abroad. He is destroying this country and our international reputation. STOP HARPER!!!!!!

Therese

Another wake up call to all Canadians to become more informed about Harper’s agenda.

Joe Gibbons

The comments calling for killing Harper or torturing him are offensive in this country. They should be purged.

pljk

Not really a surprise for Harper or Baird, they need to go…I can’t believe that Canada elected these two inhuman people into government

kellie McDonell

I am so ‘sickened’ by harper and his henchmen… baird is such an arrogant fool… will we ever get rid of them, and if we do, how long to get Canada’s good name back? I am ashamed and embarrassed by all of harper’s actions. I fear for our ‘right to vote’. He seems so out of control that he could bypass cheating at the polls, and just legislate against our right.

Linda

Harper is a puppet manipulated by the corporations that are running this country. The only way we can stop the madness we see happening in Canada is to elect a person who is not influenced by the corporations and WILL NOT bow to the corporations. Anyone have any ideas??

That means every person in Canada must vote.

Peter

Stephen Harper will have to answer for his government sooner or later for all his isolationist and cruel & unusual activities & policies. How much more can the Canadian people stand for his complete disregard for the welfare of the poorest of this world. He has gutted Canadas environmental laws & policies of meaningful conrent. It truly is time that this changes & good riddance Mr. Harper!

mary1606

Dear Elizabeth, You must live in another Canada because the one I am in is lucky to have Harper and the Conservatives. They are the best team for Canada right now. No one is perfect but check out the competition. Review the Liberals and the Gomery Inquiry and the many liberal laws they’ve passed and the repercussions today. Check out the NDP and Sharia Law in Brampton. No one is perfect. We’ve got the best Leader and Government for Canada right now. You all seem to be unaware of what else is going on behind the scenes here and all over the world. Look at the terrorist act at the Boston Marathon and others all over the world. These terrorists and the groups that back them are dangerous and crazy and huge in number. They want to take over the world, including Canada. Find out who they are and who supports them. These crazy people are in Canada too. Part of their multi level plan is to support discontent and create chaos for the people and government of whatever country they live in. For a better understanding of some of the things going on, watch the Internet documentaries “Obsession, The Third Jihad, Iranium”. You will see there are lots of good people within any group that want reformation and who want to stop the bad elements of their society, thus you see the turmoil in the Middle East. And terrorists and extremists are only a small part of the problems today. You have the power to be part of the solution, not the problem. You seem to need more knowledge. There are other huge groups, with their own hidden agenda all over the world. Some of these groups are hidden from us but they have the power and money to shape the world too. There is crime of all kinds and corruption and greed. We still have worldwide slavery, poverty, starvation and the world has enough resources to prevent this. This is the human condition and there is nothing new under the sun. It is what it is and in fact, it’s up to all of us to fix it, not just Harper, but he is on the right track. There is hope for the world, but we have to start at home, here in Canada and Harper is doing his job. Check out “Thrive, The Shift Movie, and The Cure Is You” for starters. Who are the people behind these documentaries and movements? We are all in this together. Do more homework in these areas. Our incredibly beautiful world is in a mess as I am sure you know, but there is hope and brilliant and hopeful things occurring everywhere. Harper is doing a fabulous job for Canada and trying to make us strong and independent. We are role models and people all over the world want to live here. Harper doesn’t do things for show like some of the heads of other parties and the heads of other countries. He quietly does the best for Canada. He is not making the environment worse. That is just political rubbish. It was worse when he came into the office. He is a very good man with the best of intentions for all of us. The wheels to destroy our environment, worldwide were put in motion before any of us were born. Greed and ignorance is to blame and it’s a universal trait of mankind. It’s what some humans do. Step back and look at the big picture. Along with the absolutely beyond belief miracle of our individual birth, is our amazing body that becomes more and more of astonishment. Did you know that our heart is the first cell to form in the womb and no one knows what makes that tiny speck start beating? Did you know our heart has a brain? Check out Heartmath. There is more going on out there, than just politics but it impacts politics. Include mass thinking and mass consciousness. What groups or forces try to create mass negativity and ultimately depression? They are out there too and they are the enemy. Look at their agenda of hopelessness. Everything counts. It is all linked together. We Canadians are for the most part, hopeful people, at this time and space. We are living in one of the best countries in the world. We elected Harper and The Conservatives as a majority government in Canada. There is a reason. We sense we can trust him to do the best for us and the world and he is dealing with some pretty big, bad things. Harper seems to know what you don’t know. He has made huge changes to repair the damage and he continues to clean up the mess he was faced with when he got into office. He is protecting Canada and Canadians, and he continues to help the world. If he does not agree with the UN, he is not alone. The UN and WHO have their own hidden agenda and if you understood it, you wouldn’t like some of it either. Your view of the world seems to be too small to see what Harper and The Conservatives see. He is on the right track and he has had to prioritize. His list is a mile long and some things may seem #1 to you and me, but he has the big picture. He knows what needs to be done in the right order and there are only 24 hours a day. He is on it. Trust him, and notice what the other parties are doing. They act without care or concern for Canada a lot of the time, actually making Canada weaker, instead of working together with whoever was elected by the people, for the people. We elected the Conservatives and Harper for a reason. Find out why. The other parties are relentlessly, damagingly, insidiously trying to bring down Canada by not supporting the party we all elected. Who created this system anyway? Oh, yeah, we did. Let Harper do his job. Before flying off the handle, get the big picture and when the next election comes, make sure you know what is going on all over the world, the big picture of governments, terrorists, corporate greed, capitalism, global warming, extinction of species, crime, drugs, the harm from GMOs and the fluoridation fraud, chemicals in our food, water shortages, mercury in vaccines and deaths from hospital bugs and so on and on. Select a leader who understands the world and Canada’s place in it. How did they behave when they were not in power? Then consider this in a different way. Look at us, the humans who run the world. We are not perfect. We are all born the same way, we live a short life, we die and in-between we have the opportunity to do good or not and the same thing is happening to trillions of other people, now and in the past, who impact us, who in some way are connected to us. Some of us make horrible mistakes like gang raping a 15 year old girl and she commits suicide and this destroys the life of everyone involved. Then there are people who save lives and inspire people to do their best for humanity like Mother Theresa. It’s a choice, but what leads up to the bad things? If they could do it over, of course they would do it differently. It’s a tragedy. How did the circumstances for these terrible things arise? Who unknowingly or knowingly permitted and supported it? Look at the damage we do through seeing only part of the big picture and the long term impacts of our actions. For example, although the world is condemning Catholics, there are really only a small percent of priests involved in molestation. It is a hideous, life impacting horrible crime, and in fact the same percent of sexually sick men AND women exist in all areas of society and religions as far back in recorded history as you can go. What should the punishment be? Do people change? How did they get like that? Do we treat their mental illness, forgive and forget? And some religions support men marrying children. And there are still slaves. There is a lot to think about here. What are the implications? Where do you stand and why? All the major issues we face are just as complicated. Then, go back in history and look at genocide. It’s everywhere in every race, religion and country and gender. In fact the Catholic Church regardless of what happens in the Vatican does more to help the world than any other country, organization anywhere at any time. And I am not Catholic. Check it out. Is there really a free source of energy that has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? Are there aliens the knowledge of which has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? Check out the documentary Sirius. The entire world would be impacted if we no longer used gas and oil. Jobs would change. How many jobs depend on products for automobiles? Cars and trucks would change. Trillions of dollars and untold impacts. There is more going on than you know. Did you know that the doctor who first realized the washing hands would save countless lives was disbelieved and disgraced by all other doctors? He died in a mental hospital and millions more lives were lost. Eventually, what he said was reviewed, believed and understood. Now we all wash our hands to prevent the spread of germs, yet undercover investigators found that there are people working in hospitals today that don’t wash their hands. Understand the priority of necessary change and what happens if we don’t investigate the big picture. Ponder known science a little to see the most recent information. Why does our world, our sun, our universe, the galaxies stay balanced where they are without chaos and annihilation? I know what scientists think, but really, they are still learning every day just like we all are at every age and level of society, at least in a free society. Nothing is perfect. Therefore, we have to find the best out there overall to lead us. We have a great leader and we elected him and we gave him a majority. Help him to do his job in his strong, quiet, courageous way. He is up against a lot. It’s complicated. Support him and do your homework so you know why whatever he does is for your own good and the good of Canada and ultimately the world. When the next election comes, encourage everyone to make an informed decision and vote for a good, wise, understanding, well balanced, logical, intelligent, well informed leader and team and maybe it will be you and your team. No human is perfect. But this is the way our great country works. We were formed and our roots are Judeo-Christian morals and values from which came our laws, great freedom and quality of life compared to other countries, equality, human rights and more, the envy of the world and the freedom to continually improve and we do. Our hearts are in the right place. We have a government, and a leader and a delegation of positions throughout systems in place all over our Nation and linking us to the world, all the way down to every business and organization in Canada and within families. It works for better or for worse depending on the people involved. Harper and the Conservatives are my choice for the top position, right now in our time and space, for all of the foregoing reasons. The majority of Canadians agree.

D Vandeleur

LOL! LOL!LOL!LOL!LOL!!!!!! “Mary, Mary, … ….. how your garden grows..” …we see how this garden is growing & like that invasive weed that takes over EVERYTHING including telephone poles & wires & eventually smothers all life in its way … & many of us do not want that to be happening to Canada.

Clint LaForge

Jeez, Mary… We’re talking here about Stephen Harper, reformist… not Jesus Christ, son of God. Take off the rose colored glasses, pleeeeZ!!…

Jan Draper

Harper’s actions are shocking indeed. How can he justify to himself the policies that are so damaging to the environment. Where does he expect his children will live and in what kind of a world? Perhaps big business will just construct huge domes for the chosen where they can live in an unatural but clean place and the rest of us will exist in a de-forested wasteland outside the dome in a peach-colored chemical mist. (Was it Asimov who first described such a scenario?) How can people who are not fat cats vote for this man? His policies degrade the way of life of the common person to benefit those at the top of the heap, not exactly moral or equitable governing to my mind. When Harper came into power, I thought perhaps he will be an old style conservative whose values make him honest and socially responsible. How wrong I was.

http://thebarkark@blogspot.ca

If more prison cells and harsher prison sentences equated to a safer country then the USA WOULD BE THE SAFEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! Let’s add the largest army and strongest support for the Christian ethic (excepting the Golden Rule). HMMM! Even as Texas is releasing prisoners because they can no longer afford the prison costs (let’s not get into huge recidivism), the Conservatives are advocating more prisons. The conservatives in Canada are following a lock-step “My way or the highway approach to governing. Harper accuses Trudeau and the Liberals of supporting China by suggesting lower taxes on imports and yet that same Prime Minister smilingly,greeted 2 Pandas from China, that we’ll pay that country $2 million per year — to borrow? The twisted logic of the man running our country bespeaks a by-gone mind set of keeping the masses in the dark and frightened (“you’re with us or you’re with …” the enemy) Why else would he all but eliminate the Canada census? It disputes many of his positions. Long life social media

http://www.facebook.com/Jasper2012today Joe Parascandalo

Unlike Prime Ministers before him, Steven Harper need not worry of his legacy to future Canadians for this simple reasont: by the time he and his cronnies are through, there won’t be a future Canada

Carol Gabriola

I have already included reference to this action in a petition that I signed to protest the Harper government’s “streamlining” of the environmental review process and the clamping down on public statements by government employed researchers. I am appalled on a daily basis by the actions of the Harper government which place our country in jeopardy at home and which will make us an outcast on the international scene. Elizabeth May is a bright spot of integrity and hope in a sad parliament.

beyond angry

Stephen Harper is nothing but a slime bag greedy politician who is ruining this country and all we have worked for. He is in league with the Bilderbergs who are avery large group of the richest people in the world and they run it and have since 1945.. the autrocities they have perpetrated on us in secret are horrendous but no one pays attention. They have no ethics and they certainly do not care about the people. All politician follow their orders and if they dont they are killed or discredited, Even the media are too afraid of repercussions if they tell truths. This world is becoming a cess pool and will only get worse. We have to start speaking and fighting against them. If not we are all doomed… except for the higher rich of course.

M. Scanlon

I wonder what percentage of those who voted Conservative in the last federal election have had a change of heart now that they realize what (not ‘who’) they put in power. Although I have never liked or respected Mr. Harper, he was tolerable as a minority leader. Now he really has prove the old adage that “Power Corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

johanna

thank you for this news -alarming but important to be aware of

monoelcoates

And Harper is now out of step with the US and China, who have come to their senses, it seems and at least started to talk seriously about climate change. He was waiting for the US; how long til he has to scramble to keep up? What a clown!

Gail Taylor

There was no sense of my trying to rephrase what you said in this article so I just posted the whole thing to my Facebook. Thank you and keep up the great work.

Sabrina chamberlain-parks

Thank you for taking the time to truthfully report what goes on behind closed doors…I have tried to Meet up with D. Kramp my MP to discuss these cuts but his secretary works to protect him from the public I think!

Seeking Truth

‘Gate-keepers Rule!!!’ seems to be the situation – even hand-written letters or protests seem to have no effect. So…. are the politicians guilty of ‘not wanting to know’????????

http://www.facebook.com/jeff.hiemstra.12 Jeff Hiemstra

glad there’s some intelligence left in politics. Down with harper’s govt.

mary1606

Dear Elizabeth, You must live in another Canada because the one I am in is lucky to have Harper and the Conservatives. They are the best team for Canada right now. No one is perfect but check out the competition. Review the Liberals and the Gomery Inquiry and the many liberal laws they’ve passed and the repercussions today. Check out the NDP and Sharia Law in Brampton. No one is perfect. We’ve got the best Leader and Government for Canada right now. You all seem to be unaware of what else is going on behind the scenes here and all over the world. Look at the terrorist act at the Boston Marathon and others all over the world. These terrorists and the groups that back them are dangerous and crazy and huge in number. They want to take over the world, including Canada. Find out who they are and who supports them. These crazy people are in Canada too. Part of their multi level plan is to support discontent and create chaos for the people and government of whatever country they live in. For a better understanding of some of the things going on, watch the Internet documentaries “Obsession, The Third Jihad, Iranium”. You will see there are lots of good people within any group that want reformation and who want to stop the bad elements of their society, thus you see the turmoil in the Middle East. And terrorists and extremists are only a small part of the problems today. You have the power to be part of the solution, not the problem. You seem to need more knowledge. There are other huge groups, with their own hidden agenda all over the world. Some of these groups are hidden from us but they have the power and money to shape the world. There is crime of all kinds and corruption and greed. We still have worldwide slavery, poverty, starvation and we have enough resources to prevent this. This is the human condition and there is nothing new under the sun. It is what it is and in fact, it’s up to all of us to fix it, not just Harper, but he is on the right track. There is hope for the world, but we have to start at home, here in Canada and Harper is doing his job. Check out “Thrive, The Shift Movie, and The Cure Is You” for starters. Who are the people behind these documentaries and movements? We are all in this together. Do more homework in these areas. Our incredibly beautiful world is in a mess if you look under the covers, but there is hope and brilliant and hopeful things occurring everywhere. Harper is doing a fabulous job for Canada and trying to make us strong and independent. We are role models and people all over the world what to live here. Harper doesn’t do things for show like some of the heads of other parties and the heads of other countries. He quietly does the best for Canada. He is not making the environment worse. That is just political rubbish. It was worse when he came into the office. He is a very good man with the best of intentions for all of us. The wheels to destroy our environment, worldwide were put in motion before any of us were born. Greed and ignorance is to blame and it’s a universal trait of mankind. It’s what some humans do. Step back and look at the big picture. Along with the absolutely beyond belief miracle of our individual birth, is our amazing body that becomes more and more of astonishment. Did you know that our heart is the first cell to form in the womb and no one knows what makes that tiny speck start beating? Did you know our heart has a brain? Check out Heartmath. There is more going on out there, than just politics but it impacts politics. Include mass thinking and mass consciousness. What groups or forces try to create mass negativity and ultimately depression? They are out there too and they are the enemy. Look at their agenda of hopelessness. We Canadians are for the most part, hopeful people, at this time and space. We are living in one of the best countries in the world. We elected Harper and The Conservatives as a majority government in Canada. There is a reason. We sense we can trust him to do the best for us and the world and he is dealing with some pretty big, bad things. Harper seems to know what you don’t know. He has made huge changes to repair the damage and he continues to clean up the mess he was faced with when he got into office. He is protecting Canada and Canadians, and he continues to help the world. If he does not agree with the UN, he is not alone. The UN and WHO have their own hidden agenda and if you understood it, you wouldn’t like some of it either. Your view of the world seems to be too small to see what Harper and The Conservatives see. He is on the right track and he has had to prioritize. His list is a mile long and some things may seem #1 to you and me, but he has the big picture. He knows what needs to be done in the right order and there are only 24 hours a day. He is on it. Trust him, and notice what the other parties are doing. They act without care or concern for Canada a lot of the time, actually making Canada weaker, instead of working together with whoever was elected by the people, for the people. We elected the Conservatives and Harper for a reason. Find out why. The other parties are relentlessly, damagingly, insidiously trying to bring down Canada by not supporting the party we all elected. Who created this system anyway? Oh, yeah, we did. Let Harper do his job. Before flying off the handle, get the big picture and when the next election comes, make sure you know what is going on all over the world, the big picture of governments, terrorists, corporate greed, capitalism, global warming, extinction of species, crime, drugs, the harm from GMOs and the fluoridation fraud, chemicals in our food, water shortages, mercury in vaccines and deaths from hospital bugs and so on and on. Select a leader who understands the world and Canada’s place in it. How did they behave when they were not in power? Then consider this in a different way. Look at us, the humans who run the world. We are not perfect. We are all born the same way, we live a short life, we die and in-between we have the opportunity to do good or not and the same thing is happening to trillions of other people, now and in the past, who impact us, who in some way are connected to us. Some of us make horrible mistakes like raping a girl at 16 and she commits suicide and this destroys the life of everyone involved. Then there are people who save lives and inspire people to do their best for humanity like Mother Theresa. It’s a choice, but what leads up to the bad things? If they could do it over, would they do it differently? How did the circumstances for these terrible things arise? Who unknowingly or knowingly permitted and supported it? Look at the damage we do through seeing only part of the big picture and the long term impacts of our actions. For example, although the world is condemning Catholics, there are really only a small percent of priests involved in molestation. It is a hideous, life impacting horrible crime, but in fact the same percent of sexually sick men AND women exist in all areas of society and religions as far back in recorded history as you can go. What should the punishment be? Do people change? How did they get like that? Do we treat their mental illness, forgive and forget? And some religions support men marrying children. And there are still slaves. There is a lot to think about here. What are the implications? Where do you stand and why? All the major issues we face are just as complicated. Then, go back in history and look at genocide. It’s everywhere in every race, religion and country and gender. In fact the Catholic Church regardless of what happens in the Vatican does more to help the world than any other country, organization anywhere at any time. And I am not Catholic. Check it out. Is there really a free source of energy that has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? Are there aliens the knowledge of which has been suppressed in favour of power and greed? Check out the documentary Sirius. The entire world would be impacted if we no longer used gas and oil. Jobs would change. How many jobs depend on products for automobiles? Cars and trucks would change. Trillions of dollars and untold impacts. There is more going on than you know. Did you know that the doctor who first realized the washing hands would save countless lives was disbelieved and disgraced by all other doctors? He died in a mental hospital and millions more lives were lost. Eventually, what he said was reviewed, believed and understood. Now we all wash our hands to prevent the spread of germs, yet undercover investigators found that there are people working in hospitals today that don’t wash their hands. Understand the priority of necessary change and what happens if we don’t investigate the big picture. Ponder known science a little to see the most recent information. Why does our world, our sun, our universe, the galaxies stay balanced where they are without chaos and annihilation? I know what scientists think, but really, they are still learning every day just like we all are at every age and level of society, at least in a free society. Nothing is perfect. Therefore, we have to find the best out there overall to lead us. We have a great leader and we elected him and we gave him a majority. Help him to do his job in his strong, quiet, courageous way. He is up against a lot. It’s complicated. Support him and do your homework so you know why whatever he does is for your own good and the good of Canada and ultimately the world. When the next election comes, encourage everyone to make an informed decision and vote for a good, wise, understanding, well balanced, logical, intelligent, well informed leader and team and maybe it will be you and your team. No human is perfect. But this is the way our great country works. We were formed and our roots are Judeo-Christian morals and values from which came our laws, great freedom and quality of life compared to other countries, equality, human rights and more, the envy of the world and the freedom to continually improve. We have a government, and a leader and a delegation of positions throughout systems in place all over our Nation and linking us to the world, all the way down to every business and organization in Canada and within families. It works for better or for worse depending on the people involved. Harper and the Conservatives are my choice for the top position, right now in our time and space, for all of the foregoing reasons. The majority of Canadians agree.

D Vandeleur

LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!!!!!!

Pierrre

That was hard to read. In the future, may I suggest using paragraphs and structuring your essay into topics. Your whole point is utterly lost.

Kim

What happened to your Lyme Disease proposed Bill? Concentrate on things that you may have an interested audience.

Jackie from Hamilton

After seeing the documentary Revolution this weekend and reading this article, I am shocked. This is not the Canada that I represent; a Canada with an incredibly poor environmental report card. Don’t we care at all anymore? Please, make your voice heard. Tell the Conservatives that this is unacceptable and despicable!

Rosemary Mason

Hang in there Elizabeth. We need you.

Standing Strong

There is an old saying that to know where we are and where we’re heading, look to the past. History repeats itself. Look at the world situation and the events prior to hilters rise and during and after…anything seem a slight bit familiar? All of us Canadians need to take a look at the map of the harper regimes movements….be afraid, be very afraid…and then turn the fear into action…let’s use power of our combined voices and take our country back..he’s only one man, we are a nation of people. We cannot let his delusions become our realities.

Seeking Truth

Right on! also look at the map in the ‘Mark Carney/Goldman Sachs’ internets – you will see just how the G-S ‘graduates’ have been inserted into so many countries to ‘advise’ their Finance Ministers (including Canada’s Lib & Cons ministers)– a real eye-opener!!!!

Nomad 103

Thank you for this insightful, “behind the scenes” expose of Canada’s current “Leadership”. I’ve been “white-knuckling” every day that Harper and his band remain in office, especially since they got a majority. Canada is definitely NOT the Canada of our parents since that tragic day. Canadians are going to continue suffering the longer his party remains in office and I can only hope that Canadians wake up next election and do not re-elect him or his party.

Jason Bourdon

Harper is the most incompitant and corrupt world leader since either Bush the later being a complete bufoon Harper is no differant his insistace on our particapation in the opium wars in Afganisan and Pakistan have made our country a less safe place to live and has sullied our name to the world this latest stupidity is a way he can say there is lots of water here so dont worry when we polute the Skeena and other great watersheds with our pipelines……sadly I fear the only way this scumbag will protect our water is when the water is worth more than the oil, I don’t see that day far off and I believe that is partialy what is motivating him because power and money are all that concern this asshole

Seeking Truth

Jason, your anger is real, but I believe that through PM Mulroney’s FTA, WATER, AGRICULTURE & valuable Canadian resources were given away (see: ‘The Grand Canal’ & ‘NAWAPA’) & all this ‘harmonization’ is a set-up for lobalization. The original & complete FT Agreement has been secreted away for 30 years, tagged as a ‘security risk’, if the public were to see it…. After the 30 years’ hidden, nothing can be done about the give-aways! All who love Canada’s sovereignty must demand that the FTA be made public immediately – that would get rid of the Cons in a hurry.

Yellowknife

I am seventy-four years old. I don’t know how much longer I have left to live. My most fervent wish now is to see the Harper gov’t defeated before I die. Yellowknife

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=532700069 Mark Henderson

New lows, which I thought impossible, have been reached. There are two intertwined evil forces at work here: blind adherence to ideology, and pandering to the meanest of the electorate. Well, Mr. Harper, you have just given Mr. Trudeau some ammunition.

depressed

Stevie H would rather spend 10 million on a panda photo op then $290,000 per year on drought. I hope the people that elected him are happy now. Can’t forget we only get what we give.

sally

as a Canadian presently volunteering in sub-saharan Africa i am appalled and embarassed by the withdrawal of canada from the UN CCD the convertion to combat drought and desertification. Withdrawal is withdrawing from global citizanship – this is not the Canada we want – Canadians are a humanitarian people – we must get rid of the Harper and the harper agenda.

Denise

This man has got to go, he is an absolute disaster for our wonderful country. It’s time for an uprising throughout the country. Canada has become his property in his mind. He is certainly not the Prime Minister for the people of the country.

dragonpuff

Harper has obviously allowed the power of his position to swell his already large head. I wonder what a psychiatrist would prescribe for his ailment. Possibly a candidate for a loonie bin, padded walls and all. He is destroying our once-great country and her reputation. Get rid of Harper before he does more irreparable damage!

Keith

Extraordinary action to arbitrarily by the Canadian government to withdraw from this Convention, though considering current policies of the Harper Conservatives, in no way surprising. Thank God we have Elizabeth May & the Green Party to keep nipping at their heels; let’s trust that they, the NDP & the Liberals soon begin to bite & send the Conservatives of with their tales between their legs.

Consilience

We permit Harper to do what he does without challenging him. Given enough media and citizen lashback, he will back down. I’m waiting for the fear in those eyes and his baboon eye-flash. Elizabeth, keep after him. Get other MPs to challenge. He prorogues Parliament, denies our rights, and otherwise does whatever he wants, embarrassing us in the international community. He doesn’t represent all Canadians! He reminds me of the power Joe McCarthy wielded in the 50s…power given, power unrestrained beyond reason.

Leith

Fo after him, Elizabeth, he has brought down the reputation of Canada around the world and created the greatest debt we have ever had. It is long past the right time for him to leave.

Seeking Truth

actually, the Mulroney years started that ballooning of the debt & of course our present PM is a protege of Mulroney. If you can get it, read the late journalist, Walter Stewart’s book ‘BaNK hEIST -How the Financial Giants Are Costing you Money.’ 1997, Harper Collins (especially table 8 on p. 250), also research the internet regarding the Bank of Canada & the reason for its set-up in the 1930′s.The various levels of gov’t could secure up to 20% of their debt from the Bof C, for little or no interest (any interest would go directly into general revenue. That way the nat. debt would be manageable) That is one of the over-arching issues behind our rage at the way this government is steam-rollering everything.

http://www.facebook.com/janet.saunderson.5 Janet Saunderson

It’s embarrassing! Did someone say this is a democracy? Hmmmm….I certainly wouldn’t have voted for these withdrawals, and certainly didn’t vote for this Prime Minister.

Pierrre

Interesting question. “Did someone say this is a democracy?” While Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party was democratically voted into power, being a majority government has given the government dictatorship-like power.

Think about this: in a majority government, the elected Party can pass virtually any bill it wants, but in a minority government, the elected Party has to work very hard to pass anything.

Which is better?

http://twitter.com/2008Cornish Winnie Cornish

When is this going to stop, please somebody help…Get rid of Stephen Harper before we have no life left to look after he is totally sucking it out of CANADA and it’s people. So tired of all this WoW.

Vivian Harrower

That Canada “will now be the only nation on earth not part of the convention” on drought and desertification makes me ashamed. We should continue to support this critical work.

Pierrre

I agree with the need to support this critical work. Don’t be ashamed to be Canadian. Instead, take part in outreach projects and show the world how Canadians really feel.

Alex

Thank you, Ms. May, for fighting back against the Conservative government. They are incomprehensively destroying Canada’s reputation in the world, and destroying our country to boot with their utterly insane ideology. Hang in there, so many Canadians are supporting you.

http://twitter.com/caffenefiend caffene fiend

This latest move by the Harperites (and citing the high cost as a reason) shows me that there is no bottom to the global slide Harper is taking this country down. I am devastated there is no faster way to have this government removed from power.

http://www.facebook.com/greg.abbott.31 Greg Abbott

Oh Mr. Harper,,, you are digging your party such a deep hole, they would be wise to remove you from office as quickly as possible,,, re-branding your party with a different name and logo will simply not be enough this time.

Pierrre

Just a thought… your post might be better served on Prime Minister Harper’s forum…

Barbara Berger

As usual I am ashamed to be Canadian as Harper continues to dismantle Canada and blacklist us in the international community.

Pierrre

NEVER be ashamed to be Canadian! I am proud to be Canadian! We will get through this. Hold your head high!

M D Sarault

Elizabeth you and the other members of parliment can ask the Governor General to dismental this Harper Government. If enough member from all parties agree that would be the end of this foe. Please conceder this opion. We the people are tired of Harped dictatorship. I know that it might not have been done here in Canada before but there is always a first time and now it is. Please do so. Thank You.

Pierrre

Hi M D,

Here is something to consider: Prime Minister Harper controls greater than 50% of the House. There are not enough Members of Parliament to vote against him. He is here for the duration. If you want to make a change for the better, start today by rallying those you know to vote for whom you think can do a better job. Instead to getting other to do the hard work, go out and actively participate, engage, and do the hard work yourself.

MD Sarault

HI Pierre We have members of parliment just for the purpose of bring to front that we are discontented with Mr. Harper and have them speak on our behave and I have writen the same to different member of different parties, and have asked people in my circle to do the same.

Pierrre

Yes… and I truly wish that it would do any good. I am active in my community and have educated many people to the damage the Harper Government is doing. I have written letters and have encouraged others to do likewise. Aside from that, we, the people, can only wait till the next federal election and vote for someone else…

Rhoda Melinyshyn

From Rhoda: I appreciate Elizabeth May’s incisive and rallying reports. How I wish more people could be made aware of the direction Canada is going, against their will.

Could I ask why, when I activated “Print this page”, the article appeared, but with the by-line of “by Craig Cantin/April 11, 2013 12:58 pm”? I thought Elizabeth May was the author.

Seeking Truth

probably her web-master, overseeing the posts

http://www.elizabethmaymp.ca/ Craig Cantin

Hi Rhoda.

It’s something I need to tweak. Everything is written by her, and posted by yours truly. Sorry for the confusion!

Cindy Swinamer

Than you for keeping us informed and advocating for us as dedicated Canadians. I share your concerns and have signed the petition!

wonderful world

i think harper has sold his soul to the devil. i think that a central government had its day and we are now moving into the age of aquarius where everything will be governed collectively by the people of the provinces, with sharing, equality and justice for all.

Pierrre

The provinces need each other. A government is a great idea. In Canada we were doing very well. Sure we have bumps in the road, and Prime Minister Harper is one of them. Once he is voted out of office, the next Prime Minister will pick up the pieces.

Jackie M.

This is outrageous!

Most reasonable political leaders do their utmost to leave their country in a better place than when they took office. This man will go down in history as the only so called democratic leader who intentionally destroyed his homeland. What kind of legacy is that?

I am appalled and helpless just like many other respondents. Thanks Elizabeth for letting us know this sneaky business. Stay courageous.

J.K.Miller.

Pierrre

Hi Jackie. It is clear that many Canadians are disgusted by Prime Minister Harper’s actions. I am too. But that does not mean he is looking to destroy Canada. I believe that he IS trying to make Canada a better place, but in his image of what that is.

Carol S.

Prime Minister Harper promised that Canada would soon be very different than it was before he got his majority government. Here is more evidence that he is keeping that promise. Canadians should be ashamed to have Mr. Harper as their PM. Hope he will be unemployed in 2015 after the next federal election.

Pierrre

While I don’t agree with Prime Minister Harper and the way he is running things, I do believe that he is trying to be a good Prime Minister.

http://twitter.com/PaulHBeckwith Paul Beckwith

Is it possible to initiate a class action lawsuit against Harper for dismantling environmental regulations and for making climate change much worse?

Pierrre

No.

gm

It has been very clear for a long time that we have a despot as Prime Minister and we must get out the vote in 2015 and dump him.

Geneva Neale

During the 1980 to 2004 I concentrated on affiliation within Multicultural Council Organizations. I was involved as Co-chair of Canadian Spectrum on Cable 14 to speak with many Associations groups to introduce Multicultural Educational Programs. Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton. Canada has included New Canadian families values in within our communities participated. I am a Published Poet, Council of Women Canada ACCA We learn to appreciate whatever Political Party to which we belong.

Geneva Neale

By the way I see the Youth Education Program for Summer that is what I wanted to see more Places for Youths to register in these Programs SUMMER 2013. Advertisements. Young people want Programs to get get them work. Disadvantaged kids “The rumours in Ottawa is that all our multilateral commitments are under review.” Multicultural.

Erica L. Cornell

You are elected officials! How can you get away with these things. You are supposed be involved in decision making that will benefit the people of this country who pay your salaries through taxes; and of the world, as good stewards of this earth by looking out for our brothers and sisters in need. I am ashamed of you. Re-instate our membership to the United Nations Environment Programme and UNESCO, NOW! You lost 3.5 billion dollars and cannot account for it. You spend more money on yourselves than you do for the poorest of the poor in this world. How dare you compromise the good hearted people of Canada with such callousness! We have always had uncompromised respect throughout the world and now you Mr. Harper and your cronies have undermined it. We have to work together as a Global Community to look after those in need and to look after our ability to take care of ourselves (Canada). Climate change is a critical issue that can not be avoided. It is affecting everyone in the world, including us! We, Canada, need to stand up with the rest of the world to work towards resolutions to save our ability to feed & water ourselves, the global community of PEOPLE.

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